Bleed Through
by slayjaylee
Summary: Beyond cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks that she should stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase that most are trying to keep her from. [Ziggler/OC/Rollins] [Rating may change] [Formerly Burnin' Up]
1. Three Paths Carved in Gold

So let's talk about how I've been gone since 2010 and why I'm back. Ready? Okay.

I love WWE and I love writing, but sometimes in this fandom, the muse can leave very easily and that's what happened. I had a few stories at one time, four to be exact and I lost a muse for all four at the same time. How ironic. The storylines on television had gotten stale, I barely knew how the backstage and off screen areas worked and well, I was just in the dark. As I began to watch DVDs that showed backstage life, watched the show more, became more and more invested in the world _behind_ the curtain instead of trying to keep it working in front of the curtain, I decided and toyed with coming back for a while. Now, I'm back. New faces and players, new storylines and I guess I can thank the network for helping me with revisiting some events can also be held responsible. No, I won't plug the network, that's not my job. I really hope I can keep you interested, keep you into my writing. I've evolved a bit in writing, I'm not saying I'm the best, but I'm better. I really hope I capture everything correctly.

This story will follow from right after Hell in A Cell and follow on so I will essentially be one or at most, two pay-per-views (or is it special events now?) behind and sticking with current events happening as they go on. More than just the three main characters in the story will be involved so definitely get ready to see a bit of everyone in this thing. It'll mix their onscreen personas as well as their off screen ones, you'll see.

Time for the important stuff.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything in this story except for my original character and the idea of the story itself. All storylines, superstars mentioned in this story. All rights, championship titles, Pay-Per-View names, and show names all belong to World Wrestling Entertainment. Please do not kill me or sue me Vince, Stephanie and Paul.

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><p><em><span><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter One: Three Paths Carved in Gold<strong>_

Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. A climax, if you will. In this story, we have yet to reach the end, we've barely scratched the surface of the beginning.

November 18, 2012 is where it all started on many levels. Survivor Series is underway, happening in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Winner of WWE's Diva's Search, Eve Torres was the current Diva's champion and defending her title against NXT season 3 winner, the only season to feature Divas, Kaitlyn. The match was back and forth, the two Divas left in a heated feud that lead to this title defense. Eve had Kaitlyn attacked, beaten down and kept as far away from her as she could from her title. The match was around five minutes or so with good spots and keeping Eve in control. After the champion herself led Kaitlyn out of the ring to get an advantage, Eve forced her back into the ring, hit a neck breaker on the challenger and got the pin. A successful title defense it seemed. The ground began to murmur, began to look over toward the titantron where a woman stood. They had never seen her before, hands on her hips, head tilted to the side with a smirk plastered on her face. Her eyes were focused on the ring and more importantly, Eve Torres herself. Charli is what she's known as apparently, new to the roster but her reputation had surpassed herself. Former indie wrestler, FCW sweetheart and skipped over NXT to land herself on the roster and now her presence was known. Now, the Divas division and the current champion, Eve Torres, had been put on notice.

The second traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series elimination match seen Team Foley, which composed of The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Kane and Kofi Kingston and a man who was notorious for being a sole survivor, Randy Orton with Mick Foley in their corner against Team Ziggler, which composed of Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow and team leader, rising star and Mr. Money in the Bank for the World Heavyweight Championship Dolph Ziggler. Member after member of each opposing team eliminated until only two men remained. Dolph Ziggler seemed to be in trouble, Randy had the advantage for being the sole survivor, the last man to come out of the battle victorious. He geared up to perform his devastating move, a punt to the skull. Dolph landed a super kick to the chin, quickly headed to Randy for the pin and the win, becoming the sole survivor and the man who beat one of the men known for being a sole survivor.

The main event saw a triple threat match between rising star, Ryback who had currently decimated anyone in his path going for the WWE Championship against the current champ in his historic run, CM Punk and the 13 time champion, John Cena. The Stars were seeming to align for the bigger man, he had CM Punk right where he wanted him and with Cena focused on getting the win, that's all he truly had to worry about. Then the numbers game came into play. Three men dressed in all black came down to the ring, attacking Ryback and performing a triple-power bomb on the big man through an announce table. Punk then pinned Cena who was laid out thanks to a Shell Shock from Ryback. The focus wasn't on the champion, but the three men who stood around the decimated shards of the announce table. Why were they there? Where did they come from? Most importantly, who were they?

The answer came with ease, men from NXT and developmental territories ready to make their mark on the WWE. Long, dark locks and a chiseled jaw, muscles and strength radiating from his stoic demeanor. He rarely spoke but when he did, his deep voice would boom through the speakers like bass. Roman Reigns was his name, of Samoan decent and the lineage of WWE royalty that consisted of the Wild Samoans, Rikishi, Umaga, The Rock and his cousins on the roster, The Usos. Hair of dishwater blonde, eyes of intense blue and the stature of someone people could easily deem insane. His hands always fidgeted, his body somehow always moving but his words would strike more fear than his motions would. He was made for the mic, his words lethal and deadly. Dean Ambrose is what he was known as, the early labeled leader of the team. Tall, lean, mischievous look on his face and fire in his eyes. His demeanor was more calm, more calculated, the subtle movements, the small ways he'd keep his gaze on his opponent, they were all part of how he was. The blonde part in his hair, setting him apart from the rest. Seth Rollins was his name, the first ever NXT champion and an FCW Grand Slam champion.

The foundation had been set in motion, a new breed was coming and whether they'd skyrocket to the top, float in the middle or sink to the bottom would all take its course within a year and eight months.

Charli, who's real name was Maia Carson, had a fast start. Her placement at the end of Survivor Series placed her in the middle of the Kaitlyn and Eve Torres feud. Charli wasn't a powerhouse like Kaitlyn, nor was she as acrobatic as Eve but kept with the game. Where she lacked in power, she made up with in submissions and quickness. Her finisher, Crash Course, which was an inverted DDT, was powerful, quick and just enough to fit her move set. An injury to her knee, tearing a ligament and stretching out a few tendons sidelined her early in 2013 which lead to her return at Battleground, finding herself doing the same thing she did when she returned, standing at the entrance and looking over at the champion at the time, AJ Lee.

Dolph Ziggler, real name Nick Nemeth, had rose fast and then fell to the middle just as quickly. Mr. Money in the Bank, who originally was aligned with Vickie Guerrero found himself a new alignment. His new alignment involved the unstable AJ Lee and NXT rookie, another NXT champion himself, Big E Langston as his heavy of sorts. Ziggler found himself in a feud with John Cena, which then led to his shining and defining moment the day after Wrestlemania. Dolph Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and his title shot the day after the biggest event in wrestling history, on that Monday Night Raw and captured the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time in his career. Just as easily as he won it, he had lost it. The former heel turned face while battling Alberto Del Rio and as quickly as he was on top of the world, he started to fall back. From main events to mid card level, Dolph fell back down the company ladder.

The Shield became an unstoppable force, their tactical gear an unmistakeable part of their persona. They were mercenaries who didn't work for anyone, interested in just righting the wrongs and serving justice. Hounds of Justice is what the group were dubbed but each man got their own label as time progressed. The trio aligned themselves with Triple H and Stephanie who were known as The Authority. Dean Ambrose, whose real name was Jonathan Good. the proclaimed lunatic and leader became the United States Champion and the longest reigning US champion in the modern era of the company. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, real names Colby Lopez and Joseph Anoa'i, the proclaimed powerhouse and the high flying architect, became WWE Tag Team Champions. By the end of 2013, the team that decimated people from the Rock to the Undertaker started to find a crack in the team, miscommunication and loss of matches led to the presumption of the end of the Shield.

And then 2014 happened.

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><p>The day after the Royal Rumble, CM Punk walked out of the company, leaving it at a loss to wonder what to do next. The Shield were unstoppable, Dolph Ziggler was scratching and clawing to get back to the top and Charli was left danging in the middle of a lengthy and tiresome feud with the current Divas Champion, AJ Lee which came to a head the day after Wrestlemania when she captured the title herself and held onto it until AJ's return that June. The two faced off against each other until Paige came into the picture by Summerslam of 2014. Daniel Bryan had stepped into the spotlight, the titles had been fused into one as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the crowd still chanted CM Punk loudly as if he were going to return. However as quickly as he stepped up, he was injured and sidelined.<p>

June 2, 2014, the world stopped for the WWE Universe. The Shield had just won a match the night before against Evolution. Batista had quit, Charli had a successful title defense against Alicia Fox at Payback, Dolph Ziggler was looking to find a way to win the Intercontinental Championship. The Shield stood tall in the ring, Triple H and Randy Orton approached the ring, sledgehammer in hand. Seth left the ring, tossing folding chairs into the ring, preparing himself and the Shield for war against the two members of Evolution. Five words left Triple H's mouth before making the entire WWE Universe wonder what the hell just happened.

_'There's always a plan B.'_

A chair crashing against skin was all that was heard, Roman Reigns fell to his knees. Dean Ambrose stood mouth agape and confused. Seth Rollins held the chair. Seth Rollins double crossed his brethren, his brothers, his team mates. Seth Rollins had joined the Authority.

Upon doing so, the entire outlook of the company had changed. Roman and Dean separated, Roman chasing after the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Dean Ambrose became the Lunatic Fringe and his sole purpose was to take out Seth Rollins. As for Seth, he became Mr. Money in the Bank himself. Dolph became Intercontinental Champion at Summerslam, only to lose it at Night of Champions the next night and obtain it once again the next day at Raw. Charli had lost her title match to AJ Lee at Summerslam, which lead to fatal four way between herself, Paige, AJ Lee and Nikki Bella at Night of Champions which AJ retained and lead to a feud between herself and Paige.

Three different paths. Three different people.

And now, three paths with three different people and all the players they meet along the way is about to make one collision course so hectic, so wild that WWE Creative department couldn't help but add it because it was too good to pass up, too good to let go of, too good to ignore. Sometimes you can't turn off the on screen character and sometimes the off screen lives tumble onto the main stage. How well they mix, that's what makes it either so good its worth it or so bad its highly toxic yet addictive.

The golden girl was about to be torn between the man with golden locks of hair that thrived for excellence and had the entire Universe with him, behind him and for him as he showed off and the man with the golden suitcase who didn't sell out but simply, _bought in._

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><p><em>Reviews are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. I'll say... three comments gets you chapter two.<em>


	2. The Road Through Hell

I didn't expect three comments/reviews in less than 24 hours. I mean, in retrospect I guess I did since chapter two was being written the second I uploaded chapter one. Anyway, I want to thank those who commented/reviewed on my story which happens to be **thejoker122, Seth rollins babe** and my good friend **Ang2QUE**. Thank all three of you for checking out this story and thinking that its pretty good so far. So this chapter, I went too far with, there's a lot of words and I'm sorry. Please, do not kill me. There's a moment where a promo is being cut, the words spoken by the actual superstars in this story and in that promo are the actual words from the promo. I condensed the match spoken in the chapter as well as added Maia (who is referred to as her ring name, Charli when she's out in the ring and on camera) in the match and in certain moments. I don't think I'll ever give a description for Maia. Why? Because I want you guys, the readers to insert yourself into this. I want when you read it, that you see yourself. As a reader, I love it when the character can remotely match how I look so I can insert myself into the story but its hard to do when the main character has blonde hair and green eyes, which I do not have. So to refrain from her having brown hair and brown eyes, or blonde hair and blue eyes, or red hair and green eyes, or black hair and hazel eyes or WHATEVER kind of combination you can think of, she won't be described. You are Maia. Simple.

Also at the end will have two or three songs I listened to while writing this chapter that can be listened to if you'd like. You don't have to, just something I do.

Time for the important stuff.

**DISCLAIMER: **I still don't own anything besides the idea and the OC. WWE still owns everything. I still only only the laptop I write this story on. Again, please do not kill me or sue me Vince, Stephanie and Paul. I'm just an advocate for the WWE Fanfiction Universe. Don't kill or sue me either, Paul Heyman.

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><p><span><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>__** The Road Through Hell**_

Hell in a Cell had been interesting to say the least. Dolph Ziggler squared off against Cesaro in a two out of three falls match, which Dolph won in a clean sweep. The match had been hard fought, at times nail biting for the WWE Universe who wanted nothing more than for their favorite show off to keep a hold on that title he earned. Nikki Bella had defeated Brie Bella in a match, making Brie her personal assistant for the next thirty days or else she'd be forced to quit WWE. Goldust and Stardust successfully retained their tag titles against the Usos and John Cena had been victorious in the mass of metal known as the Hell in a Cell against Randy Orton for the number one contendership for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Brock Lesnar. AJ Lee had defended her title against Paige, which she retained thanks to a lovely distraction from Charli but the pay per view's highlight was Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins in the cell. Somehow, someway when Dean had the best of Seth, about to curb stomp Seth, the lights went out and Bray Wyatt appeared. Was Bray now in the same company as Seth Rollins?

Maia sighed, another day at the office for her. Currently, Raw was in San Antonio, Texas. The weather was decent enough for her to forgo a jacket. Opening the trunk to the rental car, the young woman had wrapped her fingers around the handle of her luggage and sighed knowing the battle she was about to embark trying to get the luggage out of the trunk. Manicured fingers gripped tightly and pulled to no avail. Now that she didn't have the Divas championship in her bag, the bag had more space, which meant more clothes and that was never a good sign for her. Wiping her hands on her blue jeans, flattening out her white button up shirt and planting her feet that were clad in black knee high heeled boots, she pulled. Nothing.

"You know, for a former Divas champion, you're looking pretty weak there, Carson." All she could do was roll her eyes at the sound of the voice. Maia knew that voice anywhere, she often hated it but not in a literal way. Maia loved to hate him, but she couldn't because he was a hell of a lot smarter than he let off. "If this were for the title, we'd have to strap it onto a luggage-"

"Shut your trap, Good." There was a laugh in her voice, one that she knew he could hear. Maia and Jonathan Good had been friends for a while, crossing paths in FCW but never exactly something close to friends as they had been here. Months on the road will make the most unlikely of relationships and friendships happen. "Stop your bitching and come help me pull this luggage out? Besides, those cancer sticks you inhale are going to kill you if I don't."

Jon had no choice but to laugh before tossing his cigarette down to the ground. "Funny. Cute even. You even managed to say that with a straight face. Proud of you." Within seconds he had Maia's luggage out of the trunk with a smile. "You suck."

"Pretty sure you do that just a bit more than I do, Jon." The two walked into the AT&T Center, watching as carts and crates were being lugged around backstage. The hustle and bustle of the backstage area was a circus, all hands working hard and diligently to ensure a smooth show. "Hey, I meant to ask you last night—did you know Bray was coming back last night?"

Jon just shrugged, the jacket he wore making small noises. "I was only told there would be an interference. I don't give a shit anymore, it happened and now I just focus on killing Bray and then killing Seth." His eyes of ice cold blue watched as everything moved around the two. He had the habit of scrunching up his nose when he saw extra backstage cameras. Ever since the cast of _Total Divas_ kept growing, the more the cameras came around. There were only two things to do, avoid it—which became a daunting task—or simply be seen. He made the mistake of being seen once. The internet exploded over his three to five second cameo. "Have you been asked to be a part of the circus?"

Maia's eyes followed his gaze, laughing just a bit before shaking her head. "I've been asked. I said I had no problem if I happen to be within camera shot or in a conversation to show up but a cast member was a different story. I don't know, I kind of like my privacy." The words were simple and easy, shrugging as she spoke them and walked in the direction of the Divas locker room. Jon just followed behind her. "I like being able to walk around and go places without having it recorded. Have I seen it? Yes. Do I like the concept? Eh. Its giving a new light to our division, to us as female wrestlers and see our lives but..." she trailed before shaking her head once again. "...I've watched John and Nikki, Brie and Bryan, Nattie and TJ—all their relationships out in the open. It's like letting the world comment on a relationship they shouldn't have to. You know?" Maia asked, looking up at Jon who just nodded and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Plus I'm friends with you, we do not need the world exploding because you showed up once a week or some shit."

"I see what this is about, you don't want to share the spotlight with me. I'd show you up. Little shit." The two laughed probably a bit too loud for the rest of the world before reaching the Divas locker room. "Get dressed you runt. I'll wait with you to see the match schedule."

Maia hated the zoo known as the locker room. Its not that she hated the people, to be honest she got along rather well with the women on the roster as best as she could, its the rush behind everything she hated. Divas who dressed faster could get to catering and to hair and make up faster than others who dressed slower. Opening the locker room door, her eyes scanned the room. So far she had only seen Nikki, Brie, Saraya—who people knew as Paige, Victoria—who people knew as Alicia Fox and AJ. None of them were entirely too keen on rushing through getting dressed. Maybe Nikki at times. "Ladies..." Maia spoke.

"I'm taking those shoes" Nikki spoke quickly as she looked over Maia's appearance. The two Divas weren't exactly best friends, but they also weren't worst enemies. They just had an understanding of each other.

"Hello Nicole, nice to see you too, I'm great thanks for asking girlie. You look great, I like the dress. This conversation was nice" Maia joked with a wink and her hands on her hips. The two women laughed and shook their heads. The twins were just a few years older than Maia being that she was only twenty five. "As long as you're not using them for your little moments with John, feel free. They're not going to be used for moments with him, is it? I've watched Total Divas. I'd like for my boots to remain unharmed."

Brie just scoffed as she fastened the plaid shirt around her waist. "Yeah, wishful thinking, Maia" she joked which made the rest of the locker room laugh. The young diva changed her clothes into her ring gear, black shorts over fish net stockings, ring boots and knee pads. Her top was usually one that seemed similar to Paige's but since she had merchandise, she decided to wear her shirt which was black and pink for breast cancer awareness month that had been altered and cropped to show her abdomen. "Give anymore thought to the _Total Divas_ thing?"

"Yeah, Vic and I joined the cast" Saraya chimed in with a smile. Maia mirrored the smile, truly happy for the young woman. "Its not all that bad."

"Congrats." Maia shrugged. "I don't know, I like my privacy. Its bad enough some weeks I'm entirely too terrified my ass might fall out my shorts and the world would see it, but add in personal life? I think I'll pass."

Nikki chuckled and placed her hat on her head. "More like you don't want the world seeing the hot, steamy sex you have with a certain lunatic fringe?"

Maia's eyes widened, followed by a cough. "You just made me choke. No. Nothing like that with him. Nothing at all. Jon is a friend, we knew each other in the indies. Our paths would cross, we'd go to the same bars. We ended up in FCW together but nothing like that happened. Not with him."

"So you're not in the least bit concerned what he's like in bed?" Victoria piped in, raising an eyebrow and lacing her boots. "Because I'd like to know."

"He's probably still outside the locker room, go test your luck" Maia replied with a shrug. "He's not my type. My type is a bit more...I don't know. Different, I guess?" There was a slight pause in her speech before she sat down on the small bench in the locker room. "Definitely kind and smart—which Jon is but he has his asshole moments that makes me want to strangle him with my bare hands. Plus he shuts people out at time, which is annoying as hell. Understandable if you knew him and his past, but still annoying. My type has beautiful eyes to look into and a nice smile. They're hilarious, always making me laugh but they also keep me on my toes. He's gotta be hot and easy on the eyes, hands soft to the touch. At this point, pretty much Channing Tatum or just not Jon Good."

The Divas sat around, listening to Maia speak with some sort of distant gleam in her eyes. Her relationships in the WWE flew under the radar, not that she dated a lot. In reality, she only had one name under her belt and that was before he sealed his fate and got married.

CM Punk.

Of course AJ and Maia had spoken about it, gotten over it being that it happened before she came along and that all kind of romance had fizzled away and a friendship is all that remained between the two. Maia and Phil were two different people that somehow worked for a small amount of time. How they worked, they'll never understand. "This was a nice talk ladies, but I've got to see the line up tonight and Jon is probably waiting for me..." she spoke, The second she spoke the words, she shut her eyes tightly and sighed while gripping the handle of the locker room door. Of course the light giggles could be heard, she knew what they were laughing at. "Shut up."

Jon was nowhere to be found, probably off at catering or changing into his ring gear for the night. Maia took it as the time to head over and look at the match line up for the night. Her manicured fingers ran through her hair in slight waves. Her eyes scanned the line up, scanning for her name before spotting it, accompanied by AJ her opponent would be Alicia Fox which meant Paige would be ringside. "Good thing I'm already dressed..." she sighed, hair flying from her face as she backed up from the sign. Her body collided with someone else, instinctively making the smaller woman tense up. "Shit!" she mumbled before hearing a chuckle.

"If this were on camera, you'd be fined young lady." Her eyes met ones of a piercing blue. They had seen each other in passing, never really spoke entirely too much but she always thought he was attractive. He was under rated for a long time and it took so long for the world to catch on. His locks of platinum blond growing out, his dark roots showing. His eyes left hers before looking at the line up himself and adjusting the belt on his shoulder. "Could be worse, you could be fighting Kane tonight."

"Is that what you're up against, Nick?" Maia spoke, looking back over at the sign and fighting the butterflies in her stomach. Nick Nemeth was attractive, anyone could see that through a television screen but something about him in front of you was a different thing. His smile was always bright, always true and he was truly a nice person. "I definitely don't envy you. Although I should congratulate you. Clean sweep in the Two out of Three Falls match. Guess you're champ for a reason."

Nick just scoffed. "After the scratching and clawing I did, I'm just glad I've got some kind of gold." His eyes of blue looked down at the ground before waving politely at crew members before his eyes peered back down at Maia. "When are you getting the belt back? Didn't you have it for a while?"

"Close to three months? Good as it gets I suppose. I'm willing to work for it. I've been here for about almost two years. Wouldn't it be awesome to win it back at the pay-per-view I debuted at?" the Divas spoke with a smile, biting down on her bottom lip before looking up at Nick. How long had he been watching her?

Nick squinted his eyes and tilted his head a bit. "Survivor Series, right? I think I remember that. I won the five on five Survivor Series match. I remember that..." he joked before rocking a bit on his heels. "No, I remember. You were in that feud with Eve and Kaitlyn-"

"Then I was hurt. Came back, got the title the day after Wrestlemania this year. In retrospect, I pulled a show off..." Maia added with a bit of a chuckle in her voice, which made Nick laugh. Nick and Maia had been in their own world, wasn't one that was full of fireworks and sparks but there was comfort and fun between them. "Good luck on your match tonight, although I doubt you need it."

Maia turned to walk away before seeing the smile and kind eyes of Stephanie McMahon. Her hands were extended in front of her, shaking her head. "Don't mind me. I was checking to see the schedule was set and saw you two. Can I ask you two a question?" Stephanie was the master of playing two roles effortlessly. The world saw her as the Billion Dollar princess who was ruthless and only cared about her business and that everyone fell under her ranks. She was a master manipulator, sharp with her words with venom always leaking from her tongue. Stephanie was a natural. However off screen, she was one of the nicest people who always thought of something new and while her methods sometimes seemed a bit unorthodox, she meant well. Maia trusted her. "Can you two cut a promo together? Just like this one, minus the language Miss Carson-"

"I'm a sailor on the weekends, I forget to turn it off" Maia joked.

Stephanie just smiled and laughed a bit, shaking her head at Maia's sense of humor. "Nonetheless, can you two recreate that? It can happen after the small segment of Cena coming to talk to you about being on his Survivor Series team, before Kane challenges you to a match. You two can talk and...Maia, why don't you accompany him to the ring?" The wheels were turning in Stephanie's head, you could see the gears grinding and turning behind her green eyes. "You can say no to this, I promise you won't be in hot water-"

"I'll do it." The words flowed effortlessly from the young Diva's lips, the glint in Stephanie's eyes growing bigger and bigger. "I've got nothing to lose unless Mr. Intercontinental Champion here doesn't want to be seen with me?"

Nick flashed his pearly white smile at Maia and shook his platinum blond curls. "One condition. You've gotta Ziggle Wiggle."

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><p>"<em>Congrats on the clean sweep on Cesaro last night. No wonder you're the Intercontinental champ. Takes skill to keep the title around that waist" Charli added with a smile, her eyes taking in his figure. His t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, sweat pants—which seemed unreal when you looked at Dolph, for he was never really one to be pegged to wear sweats—his hair in a ponytail.<em>

"_What can I say, I'm just good at what I do" Dolph replied with a smile. "No, its more about being the champ the WWE Universe deserves and that's what I aim to do. Be the best." His eyes were locked on the Diva in front of him. "You know Charli, you were pretty sneaky last night at Hell in a Cell, I'm sure Paige didn't take too kindly to that."_

"_You thrive to be the champ the WWE Universe deserves...so do I. Paige isn't that girl. I am. But you, Mr. Show off, you are that damn good." Charli chuckled, leaning against the crate backstage before her eyes traveled behind Dolph. There stood Corporate Kane, donned in his suit and tie staring at Dolph and Charli._

"_There's a report going around that you were seen talking to John Cena." The words were deep, just like Kane's voice._

_Dolph just blinked and sighed, completely over all of this that was happening. "Yeah. So?" The answer was so simple, so short, so snippy that you can sense his annoyance even with two words._

_Kane let out a quiet sigh followed by a sarcastic grin. "As Director of Operations, I can only interpret that as an act of aggression...against the Authority...which works out well. Because I'd like to perform an act of aggression against a certain beach blond superstar who claims to steal the show every time he's in the ring." Charli couldn't help but tremble at Kane's words, they weren't even directed at her. "I'd like to make that superstar squeal in the ring. I'd like to end that superstar...See you in the ring, Dolph..." Kane's eyes slid over to Charli who stood completely still. "...bring your new little friend to see you lose."_

_As Kane walked away, Dolph moved closer to Charli who was still watching Kane as closely as Dolph was. A small shudder left Charli who blinked slow. Dolph looked over at the Diva with an unaffected smile. "Well, got anything to do later, hot stuff? Wanna see a match?"_

_Charli looked up at Dolph, although he wasn't too tall, he was still able to tower over her small frame. With a smile and small shrug, Charli agreed. "One condition, you better protect me like I'm the title."_

"_Only if you do the Ziggle Wiggle."_

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><p>Kane had entered the ring first, the initial sound of the boom from his pyro making the small diva jump. Although she was backstage, there was this eerie feeling she had about the match. Dolph was significantly smaller than Kane, in height and in weight. Maybe it was the reputation both men had—Kane as the man who was the <em>'devils favorite demon'<em> and regardless if he had on a mask or a suit, he was still just as intimidating. Dolph stood close to Charli, which made her lower her head a bit and bit her lip. She could feel him preparing for his match, jumping up and down a bit behind her in some sort of rhythm. Charli came down to the ring with Dolph, executing a Ziggle Wiggle with a laugh and high fiving fans as she walked down the ramp. Dolph was in the zone and he knew he needed to win. Dolph did his usual entrance into the ring, sitting on the middle rope and watching Charli as she entered through the middle rope and spoke to the fans. The two stood in the ring, looking over at Kane with solid eyes. Charli's shown a bit of fear while Dolph was more focused. Dolph rested his hand on her hip, bringing her a bit closer to him as her eyes watched as Kane. His eyes of blue wouldn't move from Kane, keeping the small diva within his reach. Dolph held Charli close, whispering in her ear to stay away from Kane and be careful outside the ring.

Dolph was quick and fast in the ring, often sliding out of harm's way and Kane's grasp and swings. At the beginning he slid out of the ring and gathered himself, tried to figure out a game plan. Charli moved to his side, resting a hand on his shoulder and told him to relax and he had this. No one can or should terrify him, he was the Intercontinental Champion for God's sake. The words worked at the beginning, Dolph would fire away, hit after hit, reversal after reversal. He had a focus, a drive and nothing was going to deter him. Then the tide changed and one shoulder block changed the match. Kane dominated the match, Charli watched on in terror. Her hands would run through her hair and she's lean low to watch the match. Her small hands would hit the mat in a rhythm to get the crowd behind the Intercontinental champion.

Charli had no idea how long the match went on, a back and forth of power and spots. Kicks to the midsection, punches to the jaw, maneuvers that lead to the turnbuckles and everything in between. Charli felt herself biting down on her bottom lip, found herself tugging at the hem of her cropped shirt in fear and anticipation for the match to be over. Kane hit a sidewalk slam, went for the pin and Dolph kicked out. Kane went for a chokeslam, Dolph wiggled out of his grasp, pushed himself off the ropes and slid between Kane's open legs to hit a super kick to the bigger man. Kane landed on the ropes, Dolph went for a Zig-Zag and Kane countered, throwing the younger man off as Dolph slid across the ring only to walk into a big boot. Charli felt her heart drop. The match felt like it would never end. Dolph took a beating, Charli couldn't stand to watch it. She called to him, told him to get up and fight which lead to Kane yelling at her for a moment and making her shake with a bit of terror. Kane then raised his hand, signaling he was going for a chokeslam and he was going to get the slam this time. Charli's small hand hit the apron, a repetitive rhythm and pace to make Dolph get up and fight. Dolph was exhausted, sluggish and spent from the beating he was taking. Kane's hand gripped Dolph's neck, lifting the man with platinum blond curls and Charli gripped at her hair. This was it.

Or was it?

Dolph managed to flip himself over Kane, performing a sunset flip roll up pin. One. Two. Three. Dolph had outsmarted Kane and won the match. Charli jumped and cheered in excitement as Dolph scurried out of the ring and landed on the floor, still so spent from the match. The tiny diva wrapped her arms around his neck, cheering and congratulating him on his victory outside of the ring. Kane sat in the middle of the ring shocked. Charli patted Dolph's back and went to get his title to hand to him as he leaned against the barricade, fans patting his arm and cheering for his win. Just as his hand was being raised by the ref, it all happened so fast. Terribly fast.

A flash of black hit her eyes, watching as it attacked Dolph from behind. Dolph crumbled to the floor, Charli's hand covered her mouth as her eyes adjusted to what was happening. What is going on? All she could see was black hair, black ring gear, water tricking down the black of the shirt and then it all clicked when her eyes locked on a signature attribute. Blond section of hair on their head.

Seth Rollins had appeared.

Seth's cronies, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury had been not too far behind him, Seth holding his arm close his body frame as he bent down to reach for Dolph once again. Charli backed up from the scene, her back lightly hitting the barricade as Seth rolled Dolph back into the ring. Charli had always been told about Seth. Seth was vicious, intelligent, conniving, he sold out his brothers so he can _buy in _for his future. While the deal wasn't bad, he was Mr. Money in the Bank after all, he had become an entirely new person. He was no longer the architect, he was the sellout. In Charli's eyes, he was dangerous. Her eyes saw the flash of gold, gold on the floor which was Dolph's belt that she slowly reached to grab and the gold of Seth's Money in the Bank briefcase. Charli watched as Kane clotheslined Dolph, she held his title close to her chest; that's when her eyes moved and landed on the slender Seth Rollins who had stopped and watched her. How long had he seen her from the apron? How long had he seen her at all? Charli felt her breath hitch in her throat, although she wasn't exactly sure why. Kane and Seth continued to beat up Dolph, kicking him while he was down. Seth stopped his attack and looked back over at the small Diva, making her blink slowly. Was Charli terrified? Was Seth watching her moves or simply and silently _daring _her to make some kind of move and save her friend? He continued to move back and forth in the ring, arm still close to his body frame and his eyes still locked on hers. As Kane grabbed a hold of Dolph's neck, Seth began to taunt the Intercontinental Champion. The words were unheard by the mic but Charli heard some of the words that left his mouth.

_'Your pretty little friend should be around better company, Dolph'_

Just as it seemed Dolph's fate was sealed with a chokeslam, Charli never thought she'd be more happy to hear the sound of John Cena's music blaring through the arena. John ran past her in a flash, sliding into the ring as Seth escaped. Charli began to run around the ring to the side Dolph was currently on before her eyes locked with Seth's. His dark eyes met hers and there was a small moment of a tremble that shook her bones. Then as quickly as it happened, it was gone. Now all Charli could do was watch as Seth smirked at her and move with Jamie and Joey out of dodge as John battled Kane in the ring. As Seth retreated, Kane knocked out of the ring, Charli slid into the ring as Cena held up Dolph's hand in victory after checking on him. Charli stood in the back of the ring, watching as John told Seth to come back and fight like a man. Charli handed Dolph his title, which lead to both men now telling the Authority's golden boy to come back and fight. Charli just stood still, eyes locked on the figure that was Seth Rollins before seeing Dolph fling his hair from his face. Charli held Dolph's wrist and smiled, which lead to him holding onto her waist.

* * *

><p>"You are a brave soul, I wouldn't have been out there" Nikki spoke pushing her ring gear back into her bag. "Glenn? Nice man. Sweetheart, actually. But Kane? Nope."<p>

"I've been out there with Kane, its terrifying" Brie added this time, pushing her hair into a ponytail. Maia did nothing but laugh as she zipped up the boots she wore to the arena. "You are probably going to be my hero until I have the balls to get in front of Kane."

Maia just shook her head. "I don't know, it was fun. The match was horrible to watch from the Dolph point of view. Jesus, he had the short end of the fuckin' stick. He did amazing though."

It was Nikki's turn to lean over toward Saraya and AJ and smirk. "Of course he did, he had you by his side. His hands stuck by you every time the camera was on you two. What did he call you again?"

"I think it was _hot stuff?_ Was it that?" AJ chimed in with a laugh. Maia wanted nothing more than to flip them the finger; instead of doing that, Maia just ducked her head low and covered her face. "Is...Is Maia _blushing?"_

"Shut up. You guys suck." The former Divas champ laughed and picked up her bag. "I'm not blushing, I'm simply ignoring you all. Yes, Nick is attractive, but it was just me accompanying him to his match. Nothing more. Nothing less. No dates, no boning, no anything-"

"Yet" Nikki interjected.

Maia finally gave all the Divas the finger as she exited the locker room, rental car keys in hand. Just as she looked out of the locker room, her eyes met dark ones she had seen earlier in the day. The eyes were still dark, still locked on hers. There was no chill down her spine, no tremble to shake her bones. Nothing. Instead he stood still, arms folded against his chest with that same smirk on his face from earlier. Maia moved toward the exit, heading to her rental car as her heart began to thump against her chest. Tucking wavy locks of hair behind her ear, all she focused on was getting to the car and getting to Houston for Smackdown. That's all that mattered. As she grabbed the handle to the door that led to the garage, all she heard was a voice. His voice.

_Goodnight, beautiful._

Maia didn't know how she got to the car, how quickly she got there but the second she threw her bag in the back of the car to refrain from another moment with the trunk in Houston, but the second her hands gripped the wheel, she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Did Seth just call me beautiful?" Maia whispered to herself.

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><p>A lot of words, I'm sorry. Anyway, that's the chapter. You get a small peek into Maia's life. Of course she has more friends than who's been named in this chapter and more will continue to pop up. You'll also get some more of her wrestling history and more about her family life, etc. Here's some of the songs I listened to while writing this chapter.<p>

_Again_ – **Flyleaf**  
><em>Centuries<em> – **Fall Out Boy**  
><em>If I Had A Heart<em> – **Fever Ray**

Again, Reviews are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Three to five comments/reviews and chapter three is all yours.


	3. Even The Royal Lose

You guys are too good to me. I just posted the latest chapter LAST NIGHT and the first one the NIGHT BEFORE THAT and now here I am, adding another chapter. I'm guessing I should make the comment/review counter a bit higher, shouldn't I? I guess I will. Again, I'd like to thank **TheDarkWitch24, xSamiliciousx, Seth rollins babe, **and my actual real life best friend **nicoletisha **for the reviews/comments. I think I should clear up just a tad bit more about the character and the story. Backstage moments off screen, everyone will be referred to by their real names. On screen? Its their on screen personas. Sometimes its hard for wrestlers to shut off their character, especially if they're into it. Remember, its just like acting. So this story will focus a lot on when on screen personas bleed off screen and behind the scenes as well as is the attraction based on the right person? Is Maia into Seth Rollins or Colby Lopez? Is he into Maia Carson or Charli? Is Maia or Charli into Nick Nemeth or Dolph Ziggler? Guess you've gotta read and see. More of her story will come into play as chapters roll on, in this one you get a bit of her past. Also keep in mind her current feud is with Paige and Charli is a face. Of course, its all subject to change.

Time for the important stuff.

**DISCLAIMER: **Nothing has changed on the owning front, only own Maia Carson (Charli) and the fic idea. Making this clear, please do not kill me or sue me Vince, Stephanie and Paul. If I owned the WWE, I'd have a better laptop and faster internet at this point.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Three: Even The Royal Lose<strong>_

Houston was always a nice place to Maia. She recalled the times when she would go with Celeste—who the world knew as Kaitlyn—and she'd show Maia around her hometown. They'd eat at small dive places that she loved and show her around happily with a gleam in her eyes. Being on the road constantly will drain a person, you miss your family and your friends. If you had a significant other that didn't travel with you, you'd barely see them and relationships would potentially strain. Some people only traveled for shorter amounts of times, maybe half the year, maybe three fifths of the year; then there were people who were high on the roster like Randy and John Cena who'd travel and perform what seemed like 300 days a year or more. Being away from home was one of the downfalls of being part of the WWE. Maia hadn't been home in months it felt, she couldn't even tell you if they finished construction on her block that they started before she left about eight months ago.

There's a difference between home and where a person was raised, Jon told her that and she understood it as much as he did. He's from Cincinnati but lived in Vegas. Vegas was his home so to speak, its where he feels like himself. Maia calls Florida home. Orlando, Florida to be exact. Her home was about twenty minutes away from the Performance Center WWE had recently opened. Like Jon Good, wrestling had become a big part of her life when she was younger. Maia doesn't exactly have one place to call home, a place to say she's stayed in for a long period of time. Maia's billed from Detroit, Michigan, the only place she can actually recall some kind of good memories in her life was now the only place she decided to be billed from. Maybe it should have been Orlando, but its a little too late.

Maia can't pinpoint exactly when she wanted to be a WWE Diva, she can't tell you what revolutionary match made her know her life was supposed to be in the ring like other Superstars and Divas could. She couldn't tell you if Lita or Trish inspired her more, if she wanted to be like Gail Kim or Beth Phoenix more. None of this was ever exactly clear. It just clicked somewhere early in life and ever since then, she always toyed with the idea of being a Diva. Of course she thought about careers that weren't wrestling involved like Graphic Design, English, Accounting, Business, but it always came back to that squared circle. Once Maia graduated from high school, she took money she saved and enrolled in wrestling training. She joined a few indie circuits, never sticking specifically with one company before finding a home in FCW. At this point she was about twenty one years old, still considered a young buck in the business despite being in the ring since she was eighteen. Maia didn't get called up to the main roster until she was twenty-three. Slow and steady wins the race in her mind. Maia wasn't a female John Cena, the superwoman of her roster. She's taken plenty of loses and knows the option of heel is on the table, but she likes being a face for the time being.

Pushing the shades that covered her eyes up to the top of her head, her eyes took in the sunlight that surrounded the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Her black and white cardigan blew in the wind, the slight cool chill seeping through the material of her cream colored cami tank. Her black jeans complimented by cowboy boots, she looked like Houston, Texas if it were to have a certain look. Granted, it was only Tuesday but Smackdown was being taped tonight right after the airing of Main Event. Maia hadn't run into anyone she was entirely friendly with yet, which she took as a positive sign that she could she could get dressed in peace.

She was wrong.

The Diva's locker room was filled with women, Nikki, Brie, Victoria, Saraya and AJ as the normal ones she saw but Layla, Danielle—better known as Summer Rae, Milena—who the world knew as Rosa Mendes, Nattie, Trinity—ring name, Naomi, her former tag partner Arianne—better known as Cameron and Tenille—better known as the dancing Aussie queen, Emma. "Whoa, what kind of tornado happened in here?" Maia laughed as she placed her bag down over at a free wooden locker like cabinet. "I love all you ladies, but shit. What is going on?"

"Number one contender Halloween Costume Battle Royal" AJ added with a fold of her arms and a slight pout. "Kind of wish I was a part of this madness. I like dressing up for Halloween."

Maia tilted her head "_Technically_, its only Tuesday. You've still got time to be the cute little Geek Goddess you are. Maybe something Walking Dead related, Phil will probably blow a brain vessel in excitement to do that."

"I've been duped into dressing up as Veronica Cornerstone this year from _Anchorman_ with John..." Nikki sighed, looking over at AJ and then over at Maia. "The wig John has for Ron is ridiculous. I'll send you a picture later. Anyway, its not that bad dressing up, I do it all the time."

"I bet you do, Nicole" Brie joked, which made Nikki playfully shove Brie's arm. Despite their on screen feud, the two were closer than anyone else. Maia often missed that, having the comradeship with someone, her siblings to be exact. "I'm dressing up with Bryan. We're Waldo and Wanda."

Maia playfully frowned. She always supported Brie and Bryan, no matter how hap-hazard they looked together, they were perfect for each other. "You guys are so cute, you make me sick. Go away."

"You could always dress up with a certain someone..." Saraya started, laughing as she managed to pull Danielle's old ring gear full of fringe when she was with Fandango over the top half of her body. Maia couldn't help but shake her head and laugh.

"If you mean Jon, you can keep that idea to yourself cause its not happening—can you even fit in that top half?" Maia laughed, watching Saraya. "Are you supposed to be Summer Rae?"

The laughs just filled the locker room as each Diva got dressed. Maia had no idea what she was going to be, that was the downfall of this all. "Hey, Brie do you think I could fit in your ring attire to be you or..." she stopped mid-sentence. "Is that a beard?"

Brie just laughed and mocked the 'Yes!' movement. Nikki pulled the hood on her black suit over her head and sighed before looking over at Maia.

"What if you dressed as a certain champion? You know, blond hair, blue eyes, Intercontinental Championship around his waist? I'm sure he'd let you borrow a shirt of his. He'd probably let you borrow anything if you asked him" Nikki stated, raising her eyebrows at Maia who just folded her arms. "I'm just saying, you could probably get him to Ziggle Wiggle a little more with way less clothing on his body if dressed like him. You know, if you catch my drift."

"Nikki, next day both of us have off, I'm getting you fixed..." Maia joked before sighing and shaking her head. "Maybe the wardrobe department where Sandra is has something I could borrow? This is all my fault for not looking over at the schedule and preparing a costume." Running her fingers through her hair, her eyes drifted over to AJ and smiled. "Get the word _'boo' _on your tank top, you can say you're a ghost." The young Diva left the locker room with a smile on her face before heading over to the wardrobe department. Her eyes met Stephanie McMahon's who had a smile on her face. "Ms. McMahon-"

Stephanie clapped her hands together as she moved closer to Maia. "Just the person I was looking for! Look, I wanted to say how great you and Nick were on Monday. I was kind of wondering if you'd be willing to do the same thing tonight? Accompany him ringside?"

Maia stopped for a second, biting down on her bottom lip. Did Nick agree to this? Like clockwork, a mass of platinum blond curls walked by. Maia extended her hand out to grab Nick by the arm, who stopped and smiled at the contact. "Mind if I borrow a Dolph Ziggler shirt of yours?"

Nick just raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask why?"

"Because I'm in the Number One Contender Halloween Costume Battle Royal. Figured if I'm going to dress up last minute, I'd dress as the Show-Off." Maia smiled brightly and then snapped. "Oh! Right. Also Stephanie wants a recreate of Monday. You know, me come down with you to the ring-"

Nick just laughed and nodded. "Say no more, princess. I'll drop off the shirt to the Diva's locker room. Good luck tonight." Just as quickly as he came, Nick began to walk away toward catering. "Oh! And its cool if you come down. Just work on your Ziggle Wiggle."

The second Maia got back to the Divas locker room, black shorts in hand with writing on the back, all the Divas eyes looked over at the young woman. "Uh, are you dressing as yourself because as much as that's a cute idea, its probably not going to fly" Nikki started. Before she could continue speaking there was a knock at the door which Maia rushed to get. The words were hushed, quiet and secretive before she returned with a smile and a cut up, modernized shirt in her hands. Nikki raised an eyebrow as Maia opened the folded cloth in her hands, the rest of the locker room giggled, chuckled and light laughs. "Looks like someone plans on getting a handful of blond curls in their fingers tonight. Trying to wiggle into Mr. Ziggler's pants?"

"Shut up Nikki. Steph asked for this..." Maia started before changing into the black shorts that simply said _Show Off _in the back of them thanks to Sandra. "I'm going with him to the ring for his match. It just fit I'd dress as him, I guess."

Nikki and Brie just turned around, fixing clothing which is when Maia noticed she wasn't dressed as Bryan anymore. "Wait...your Bryan costume-"

"Just for a promo, its been shot. I'm not in the match. You took that spot." Maia's mouth dropped and began to protest that she should be a part of the match when Brie shook her head. "Part of the storyline with Nicole and I, no worries. I'll be watching the match."

* * *

><p><em>'Do It Like A Dude' by Jessie J blared through the arena, Charli's entrance music. The crowd cheered for the Diva and only cheered louder when she emerged from the entrance. Shirt cut up on the sides, sleeves missing, the words 'Show Off' on the back of her black shorts and her back to the crowd. Charli mimicked his jumping in place, only to follow with the Ziggle Wiggle and turning the plastic Intercontinental Championship belt around her waist as he does. Every second of her entrance mimicked his perfectly, down to the way he entered the ring with a slide on her knee, entering through the middle rope and then sitting on the rope, turning in and then turning back out to talk to the crowd like he would.<em>

_Diva after diva had been eliminated. There were only two women left in the match, Charli and Nikki Bella. The two divas had been known for electric matches, where Nikki had power, Charli had the speed. The brand new heel versus the golden girl face. The two divas stared each other down, AJ on commentary watching as the two women looked at each other. Nikki and Charli lock up, Nikki pushing Charli toward the ropes, keeping her as close to the edge as she could. Charli raised her hands as the ref counted to five to break the hold. Nikki broke at four, Charli reached out and slapped Nikki. The match traded various elbows the the face, holds and take downs. _

_During the match a 'we want Ziggler' chant broke out, making Charli smile and do his signature Ziggle Wiggle followed by her hands through her hair like he would. The crowd cheered and Charli just shrugged with a smile. Her eyes remained on Nikki, the plan to launch herself off the ropes with a shoulder tackle to send the Bella out of the ring and make herself the number one contender for the title. She didn't notice Paige hold the middle rope down, Charli came tumbling out, making Nikki the winner as Charli stood face to face with Paige, still dressed as Summer Rae as she faked an apology. The feud between those two getting stronger and a lot more personal._

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><p><em>Charli walked backstage, pulling at the hem of the Dolph Ziggler t-shirt she wore. She threw the plastic title and sighed as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes in defeat. The camera zoomed in on her before an arm was seen. The arm outstretched and the palm of their hand rested against the wall. Charli opened her eyes and chuckled. "Sorry, I guess I should leave the showing off to you, huh?"<em>

_The camera panned out, Dolph Ziggler standing in front of Charli as she sighed and laughed. "If it means anything, you looked better doing all that than I do. You'll get 'em next time, princess."_

"_Princess? That's new..." Charli laughed before looking down at her feet. "Are you seriously thinking of joining Team Cena?" Dolph's eyes met hers and he sighed. "I'm not telling you the team you should join, I'm just worried if you join it, that you'll get hurt and you worked hard for that title-"_

_Dolph laughed and shook his head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were getting soft on me." There was a small pause, his fingers hooking underneath Charli's chin to make her look up at him. "If I don't...I'd be sitting around and letting everything happen. It's like fighting for a change but doing nothing. I'll be fine."_

"_Speaking of fine, I feel like I might have been some kind of good luck charm for you on Monday. I mean, not that you exactly NEED a good luck charm but-"_

"_Spit it out, princess" Dolph interrupted with a laugh. Charli looked down at the ground and shook her head. "If that was your way of saying you want to come ringside with me to my match, it was cute. Could use work, but it was cute. And its accepted. Just...one thing?"_

_Charli laughed "Let me guess, work on my Ziggle Wiggle?"_

"_No, please change out of those clothes. It's like talking to myself and it's teetering on weird but you're hot so its not that weird—just go change please."_

* * *

><p>The duo left out to the ring, while Charli hadn't changed out of her Dolph Ziggler shirt, she did manage to put on the jeans she came to the arena in and the cowboy boots she wore. Dolph was on a high, still feeling the win he had over Kane on Monday; Charli stuck by Dolph's side, cheering him on and standing tall next to him although her eyes remained on the figures in the ring. Her attention wasn't on Jamie Noble, it wasn't on Joey Mercury. Although her attention was on Kane, her eyes kept their gaze on the man in the ring with the golden briefcase. There was something about the way he stood in the ring, the way his gaze held onto Dolph but would slide over to her. It was enough to send a chill down her spine. The two walked to the ring, Dolph in his usual manner and ways, Charli entering through the middle rope as she did the last time with him. Dolph rested his hands on Charli's hips, leaning in with his gaze shifting between Seth Rollins and Kane.<p>

_Remember, stay away from Kane. Watch Seth, he turned on his brethren, there's no telling what he'd do to a woman._

To most people, it would look like Dolph kissed her hair, but he just continued to remind her to watch Seth. The bell rang and Charli slid out of the ring, keeping her distance from not only the demon in the ring but the man she couldn't seem to trust. His cronies, his bodyguards so to speak flanking behind him but Charli watched Seth and it seemed that he seemed to watch her too. Dolph kept low at the beginning, sliding out of harms way when Kane approached until he was cornered into the turnbuckle. Fighting his way out of the corner, it seemed like the only defense he had before Kane began to dominate the match. Charli ran her fingers through her hair while Seth cackled in approval. Charli would hit her hand against the apron, urging the WWE Universe to get on the side of Dolph which they did. Seth's dark eyes would slide to hers as she continued to rally the crowd. Just when it would seem to tip in favor of the Intercontinental Champion, Kane would get the upper hand again. Seth's gaze intensified as Dolph began to fight out of the choke hold Kane had him in, crowd clapping in rhythm, Charli cheering him on. Landing punches to the abdomen, then to the face, he moved to the ropes into the grasp of Kane which he quickly countered out of kicking at the bigger man.

Charli cheered for Dolph, keeping low and looking underneath the bottom rope to watch the match and then jumping for joy when Dolph hit Kane with a neck breaker. Dolph dropped his elbow to Kane's chest and quickly went in for the pin which Kane kicked out of. Charli grunted and held her head in fury. Seth cheered and his eyes shifted over to the Diva cheering on Dolph.

"What's the matter baby girl? Can't stand to see Dolph lose? Aw." The words seeped from Seth's lips like venom and it made Charli's skin crawl. Dolph moved to the turnbuckle, Kane charging at him when Dolph hit him with an elbow. The blond climbed up the turnbuckle and Kane retuned the favor of an elbow to the face to Dolph, knocking him off the turnbuckle; Dolph's head hit the apron as he tumbled down to the floor and Charli rushed to his side. Her eyes shifted over to Kane who was still in the ring before noticing Seth had traveled around to that end of the ring for a moment in time. His eyes were fixated on Charli, making her back up from Dolph slowly. "No need to be scared of me, baby girl. I'm just Mr. Money in the Bank" Seth called out, a small wink following his speech.

The match continued, spots here and there, Kane running into turnbuckles and Seth had moved back to the side of the ring he originally stayed with his cronies. Charli stuck close near Dolph, after he got to his feet, his fingers damn near dug into her waist, mumbling to stay safe and away from Seth. Dolph hit a super kick to Kane's jaw, shades of Monday which made Charli cheer once again. The match felt like forever, near falls, terrifying punches and super kicks to the jaw; Charli made sure Dolph could hear her voice, hear the voice of the WWE Universe and tried her best to rile Dolph up. On the other end of the ring, Seth was yelling at Kane to finish Dolph. Dolph charged from the corner of the ring, Charli held her breath and the second Kane grabbed hold of the blond's throat, Charli gasped and gripped at her hair, watching as Kane lifted Dolph high into the air and slamming him down onto the mat. Chokeslam. Kane got the pin and Charli just dropped her head against the apron; Seth raised his arm in the air as if victory was his. This couldn't have happened, this couldn't _be _happening. Kane looked down at the young diva who just seemed so defeated that Dolph had lost, and then back behind him, down at the blond lying on the mat. The devil's favorite demon's hand grasped at Dolph's neck, raising him from the mat. Charli pleaded for Kane to stop, not noticing that Seth had moved toward her once again. Her eyes jumped between Kane and Dolph in the ring, pleading for the big monster to stop, and back to Seth in front of her. The only reason she tore her eyes from Seth was the sound of Dolph's body hitting the mat once again from another chokeslam.

"You want to see a real man in action, sweet cheeks?" Seth spoke to Charli, her eyes sliding in his direction as his so-called 'bodyguards' went into the ring on his command, kicking Dolph while he was still down. Charli began to take a step forward before Seth stepped in front of her. "Uh-uh toots, don't think that's something you should be doing" he spoke. Charli wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her eyes locked with Seth's, looking at the color of his eyes, brown with what looked like flecks of cinnamon and amber in the lighting in the arena. She memorized the curve of his face, the small smirk he'd plaster in front of her. Charli was frozen. She never noticed how badly they were beating on Dolph, she didn't see Kane reach for a microphone. The second Seth moved, she'd try and take another step to Dolph, which would only result in him moving in front of her again, laughing at the fans and in the face of Charli who just wanted to get to Dolph.

"Dolph..." Kane started, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury holding up Dolph onto his feet. Charli tried her best to get to Dolph but with Seth in the way, she couldn't get around him. "I neglected to tell you but while you're standing up, you have another match."

Charli's eyes widened, mouth opening. "No! No you can't do that!" she yelled, Seth laughing at her words. "You can't do that, Kane!" Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury dropped Dolph to the mat, his body lying limp on the white canvas.

"That match...is against Seth Rollins" Kane continued, Charli's eyes sliding to Seth who just seemed amused by the whole thing. "...and that match starts _right now._" Seth feigned as if he didn't know what was happening, what was going on. His eyes landed on the diva once more, winking and smirking.

"Watch a real man get the job done" he added before climbing into the ring. His walk was slow, calculated, his eyes on Dolph as he laid on the mat.

"Referee? Ring the bell."

Charli felt useless, covering her mouth before walking to the apron and banging against the white mat and pleading for Dolph to fight back, begging for him to win. Dolph's hands outstretched to meet the ropes, hope if he can stable himself he can put up a fight. Charli's eyes never left Seth, watching as his foot landed at the back of the blond's head and with force, kicked his head down to the mat. Seth curbstomped Dolph into the mat, Charli watched with glossed eyes and felt as if she were going to cry. Seth didn't care, all he wanted was to make a statement.

He got the pin, the win and his hand raised in victory. Charli read his statement loud and clear.

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><p>"Tough loss on blondie" Jon said from his spot in front of the Divas locker room, knowing Maia had to come by and change her clothes once more. "I've taken that curb stomp one too many times-"<p>

"Is Colby known for always being this good at his character?" Maia asked, her hands pushing into her pockets and looking down at the ground. "You worked with him for a year, was he always this good?"

Jon just sighed, ran his fingers through his messy and slightly wet dishwater blond locks. "He's guilty of slipping." Maia wasn't sure what he meant. "He's guilty of slipping on screen, off camera. There's been plenty of times where the thin line between Colby and Seth gets blurred. Its hard to snap him out."

Maia's hands ran over each other. Its no secret that some wrestlers and divas stay within character for hours at a time, she had been guilty of it in the indies when she was a heel. Jon often blurred the lines between Jonathan Good and Jon Moxley in CZW and other indie companies. Colby had control of himself while in FCW, she had seen it but was this new for him? Can Colby be one of those people? "I've got to go...I've got to check on Nick in the trainer's room." The words were a bit more silent than they were loud as she walked off. Her eyes met Nikki's and Brie's for a moment, nodding slightly before opening the door of the trainer's room.

His eyes were still blue, just not as bright as they usually are. They met the standing frame of Maia and a weak smile appeared. "Ice packs can be your friend, its more than just cold frozen water to eat."

Maia smiled small, walking over slowly before stopping at his side. Her hand rested at his knee and she blinked once. "I'm so sorry I couldn't stop the massacre from happening. But Seth...or Colby or...whoever he's stuck as right now, I-I couldn't get past-"

Nick just laughed and held onto her hand that was resting on his kneecap. "I've taken way worse bumps than this, princess. I'm not concussed, that's the real miracle in this." Nick lowered the ice pack that was on his head and looked at Maia. His gaze was full of concentration, watching her movements. The way she blinked in his presence, the shade of her eyes and the flecks of color that contrasted the color of her irises. He noticed the contours of her face, the curve of her nose and the way her bottom lip was slightly plumper than her top. "Thanks. At least you tried. You win some, you lose some, right?"

Maia blinked slowly again, nodding with a smile before realizing she was still in her Dolph Ziggler t-shirt. "I guess you want this back?" she laughed. Nick just shook his head.

"Looks better on you. Keep it." Nick insisted with a wink. "You should get some rest, you look worse than me and I'm the one who had two matches."

The young diva couldn't help but laugh. "Charming words. Just, try not to get into any kind of bar fights or strenuous work?" Nick laughed lightly and placed the ice pack back on his head with a nod. "Later, prince."

"Prince?" Nick asked, squinted a bit with a smile.

Maia returned his smile. "If I'm princess, that makes you a prince." She sluggishly left the trainer's room, eyes meeting Nikki and Brie once again. "Shut up."

"Prince and Princess huh?" Nikki said with a smile on her face. Of course she heard what was said. Nikki wouldn't be her if she didn't. "I want to say so many dirty things but the names are so cute, I can't even think of anything. So that officially makes you two, suck ass."

Maia just shook her head. "I'm too tired for any of this. I need to sleep. Shower, and sleep." Passing the twins with a smile and a laugh, she headed to the locker room with a smile. Looking into her bag, Maia saw loose candy corn scattered throughout the bag. Maia wasn't a big fan of candy corn and with his street fight match, she was sure he was the one who did this. "Fuckin' Jon..." she mumbled before flinging open the locker room door. "Damn it J-" Her words were cut off the second she opened the door and was met with the eyes of brown once again. There was that signature smirk he plastered for only her. Maia couldn't help but swallow hard, her throat and mouth felt dry the longer she gazed at Seth. Or Colby. Or whoever he was being in front of her at the second in time. "Sorry." Again, for the second time in the day, her words were more quiet than loud.

"Nice shirt, sweetheart." The words were dripping with sarcasm and Maia knew she should look away but she couldn't. She just _couldn't _for some reason. "Enjoy your night. Tell your new friend, I said get better soon."

Seth was toxic, Colby was a nice guy. Somehow, Seth bled into Colby and made his toxic venom take over the kind Colby but Maia couldn't look away. Somewhere, those amber and cinnamon flecks in his eyes were shreds of Colby left behind. This night had gone on too long.

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><p>That's the chapter. The stuff in italics, all made up. Obviously my friends. So let's see the songs I used during this chapter, shall we?<p>

_Do it Like A Dude_ – **Jessie J**  
><em>Jungle<em> – **X Ambassadors, Jamie N Commons**  
><em>Change (In The House of Flies)<em> – **Deftones**

Again, reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. First time I said three comments got you chapter two, last time I said three to five got you this chapter here. Let's aim a little higher. Five to nine comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter four.


	4. The Lockout

Special thank you/shout out to **1 Crazy Brunette Goddess** for commenting on every chapter she read, I love the feedback. I always like to know what you guys like about the story and stuff. It makes me think of new things to write, new things to have in these chapters to make you want to read it. Also thank you to **Seth rollins babe **and although she didn't write it a comment or review here, special thanks to **nicoletisha **who sends me texts about what she thinks of the story. I actually enjoyed writing this chapter entirely too much and its insane.

I also have been toying with another idea that I may or may not start up soon. I'm trying not to overwhelm myself with too many muses and stories at one time before I lose all muses and I'm back to how I was in 2010 with nothing. Maybe when there's a bigger ball rolling on this story, I'll start the other one. I have the idea thought out, at least bits of it thought out.

Time for the usual stuff.

**DISCLAIMER: **Still only own the OC and the idea of this fic. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. I'd appreciate if you do call, it's to offer me a job in the Creative department.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Four: The Lockout<strong>_

Work days are always long and hard for Maia. The days always started too early for her liking, more than likely before the sun had fully risen. After a shower, doing her own hair and make up and getting dressed, the media circus always started. Morning shows, radio shows, web series interviews, magazines, interviews for dot com, the WWE app, photo shoots if need be before actually knowing the physical aspects of the day were about to happen. Warming up, hitting the gym, going over spots and moves, added training and then the big show for the night. It didn't matter if it was Monday Night Raw, a small house show or the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. The amount of work that happens throughout the day is a tiresome act and it seemed at the end of it all, Maia found herself spent.

After checking into the hotel at the next location, the former Divas champion just chucked her shoes off her feet and collapsed face first into the bed. Most of Maia's life had been in different locations, being on the move and in new places never bothered her. It wasn't exactly the feeling of not being in her own bed, half the time her own bed felt stranger than being in a hotel bed; in Maia's case, majority of the time, a new place meant a new start, new memories and every time the company came back to a certain place, all she had were new memories and not old. The mattress felt like a cloud, her body still slightly sore from her match on Smackdown.

Maia would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about everything that happened during Nick's fight. Nick had taken one hell of a beating, he didn't deserve that, not one bit. In this business, you roll with the punches and while matches are choreographed, outcomes often known, the rare double match wasn't always known. The way Nick looked, dimmed blue eyes, just completely in pain, he wasn't in the know about a double match.

Then there was the whole encounter with Seth. Maia and Colby had crossed paths a few times in the ring, the times they crossed paths were good. He was kind, cordial and had a smile on his face when encountering Maia. When Maia, Colby, Joe and Jon made it to the main roster, Maia didn't exactly interact with Colby. He was quiet, reserved and focused like Seth Rollins at the beginning of the Shield. Maia didn't know what was happening, where Colby ended and Seth began.

The young diva showered, letting the hot water wash away all the makeup, sweat and worry of the day she had on her skin that left her sticky and feeling heavy, sluggish even. Its like she could feel the hot water wash away her worries, like the words that plagued her mind about Nick and Colby circled the drain and left with the water. Once she was done, she sat in bed, hair freshly dried into waves again, shorts, brand new knee high socks she stole from April and a tank top while channel surfing in bed. Maia landed on _Intervention_, grabbing the small bag of chips on the nightstand next to the bed. The moment she found the most comfortable spot, the warmest spot in bed, a knock was at her room door. "Fuck my life" Maia mumbled before opening the door. The door pushed open a bit more and all Maia could do was sigh.

"Its close to Halloween and you're in your room. Officially the worst friend I have" Jon added as he walked into Maia's room. "I can't believe I associate with you-"

"I'm convinced if I hang around you, Saint Paul will have mercy on my good deed and give me wings the second I enter heaven" Maia jokingly mumbled. Closing the door behind Jon, she sighed and shook her head. "Take your dirty ass shoes off my bed."

"Its not your bed. Hotel territory, Carson." Jon's eyes lifted to the screen, squinting a bit as he saw the images on the screen. Maia and Jon never actually spoke about his well documented past with his family, although she always managed to tread lightly along those waters. Sometimes she was afraid if she watched these things, he'd go off the deep end—although he had control of himself very well. His family was a tough subject, so was her family. Things like that were touchy for both of them and Maia didn't want to upset her friend. "You always watch the most boring shit, buzzkilling actually."

"I can change it, but that would mean you plan on sticking around for more than five to ten minutes." Maia let her hands run over each other, her words soft yet still joking with her friend. "You do realize earlier you called me a friend-"

"Worst friend" Jon quickly corrected.

"Still, the title is there. You think I'm awesome enough to be your friend. Shit, you _do _have a heart behind all the leather jackets and greasy hair." Maia plopped down on the bed, reaching for the remote and turning off the television. "What made you come here?"

"The twins were looking for you" he started, sitting up from his position in her bed. "How the fuck did you score a room to yourself?"

Maia shrugged "Don't know, don't care. What do you mean they were looking for me?"

This time, Jon shrugged. "Something about going out tonight. I don't speak Bella. You should go with them." Her eyes met his orbs of blue, squinting in confusion. "Yeah okay, I'm not one who's all for twin magic twosome, but you should get out-"

"Or—and this is just a suggestion—I could keep my ass indoors and watch television until I pass out because that and ordering room service sounds a lot more fun than going out." This time it was Jon's turn to squint at Maia in confusion. "I had a rough night-"

Jon smirked "I heard Nick will be there." The words were spoken like a bargaining chip, as if it were something to entice her to go out. Her heart stopped for a split second at the sound of his name, but it couldn't sway her. It _shouldn't _sway her. "I can see those little gears turning in your head, wondering if you should go or not."

Maia folded her arms against her chest. "Shut up. I'm not going. I showered and I'm in pajamas. I'm not going anywhere." Jon sighed.

"No. Go get dressed and be on _Total Divas_ and whatever else you females do when going out." Jon folded his arms and watched Maia, who just sighed and shook her head no before sitting down on the bed. Maia wasn't going, she wasn't moving. Partying wasn't her forte; she once got drunk on Christmas in 2009. All she can recall was sticking bows all over the house. The next day, she woke up covered in wrapping paper. Needless to say, partying and drinking doesn't exactly work well with Maia Carson. There was a roll of his eyes, a click of his tongue before grabbing Maia by the knees, then by the waist and flinging her over his shoulder. "I hate to have to do this to you munchkin-"

"Jonathan Good, put me down!" Maia yelled, placing her hands on his back to push herself off of him. His grip was tight around her, all her efforts for nothing. "My ass is going to fall out of these shorts!"

"Oh boo hoo, you'll live." The door closed behind them, Jon placing Maia back down on her feet. "I had to do this. It was for your own good. Your own personal intervention since you like the show."

"You're a jackass. I'm going to bed." Maia's hand twisted the knob, the door never opened. The young woman tried again, no avail. "Give me my key card."

Jon looked over at Maia. "Why would I have your key card?"

"Because the door is locked! Give me the key card so I can get back inside!" Maia spoke in a loud whisper. The bewildered look on Jon's face was enough to worry her. He couldn't have locked her out of her own room, right? "Jonathan...you did pick up my key card so I can get back in, right?"

There was a small silence between the two before he broke out in a small chuckle. "I didn't pick anything up, Carson." Maia's eyes widened, the color flushing from her cheeks as she groaned in anger and ran her fingers through her wavy loose locks of hair. Jon began to walk away with a laugh.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? Help me out since this was your doing!" Maia spoke, stomping her sock covered feet against the carpeted floor. "Jon!"

Pushing his hands in his jacket pocket, Jon turned and shrugged. "Go down to the front desk and tell them!"

"I can't go down there like this!" Maia whined.

"Then knock on the next door, ask if you can use their phone and see if you can call the front desk for someone to come up with a master key card. I'm supposed to meet someone downstairs. You're shit out of luck, Maia. Should have gotten up to go out." With those words, Jon entered the elevator, leaving Maia a huffing, mad mess.

He was going to pay.

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><p>Maia <em>could<em> knock on every door, but just her luck she'd interrupt someone on a hot date or it'd be some creepy dude who's obsessed with the Divas and hold her hostage. Maybe she shouldn't have watched _Misery_ and _Swimfan _last night. There were entirely too many doors along the floor she was staying on, how was Maia supposed to pick the right one and hope someone would help her? Knocking on the door next to hers, she waited for an answer. Five minutes and four knocks later, there was still no answer. Maia moved down to the next door, knocking and rocking on her heels, waiting for an answer. God, she hoped she'd be fine and no one would think she's an idiot for how she was standing outside.

The door opened and her mouth instantly dried in fear. Familiar eyes looked back at her before taking in her appearance. Suddenly, Maia felt naked and weird and completely out of place in front of him. Of all floors, all rooms in the entire hotel, this one had to belong to him.

Colby Lopez.

"Uh, hi?" Maia started, her voice cracking slightly. "Um, this is a seriously stupid and probably really long story so I'll give you the short version." Maia rocked on her heels, completely terrified that once again, for the third time seeing each other, Seth Rollins had bled into Colby Lopez and she'd be facing the cold, calculated Seth. The thought actually terrified her. "Jon is an asshole and he picked me up out of my room and my key card is in there and I'm locked out. I was hoping I could use your phone to call the front desk? I can't go down there like this and whoever is next door wasn't answering-"

Just like that, a soft smile spread across his face, a small chuckle leaving his lips as he shook his head. "You talk a lot and really fast." The words were..._sweet? _There wasn't any venom, any kind of sarcasm or crass to his words. Stepping back from the door, he opened it wider to let Maia in. "Jon is an idiot, I'll second that. Come in before someone thinks the worst, that you're some kind of hotel special offer."

This had to be Colby. This couldn't be Seth. Seth would have called her some kind of belittling pet name with some kind of venom to his speech, like 'sweetheart' or the one she hated the most 'toots'. Maia smiled small, walking into his room with a nod of her head.

"Thank you. I didn't mean to interrupt you at all if you were busy. I didn't plan on getting locked out of my room tonight." The former Divas champion looked down at her feet; for some reason, looking as far away as she could from his eyes, seemed like a healthier plan than looking up at Colby.

Colby shrugged and sat down on the bed. "I wasn't doing anything special, just channel surfing. Landed on _Intervention._" In that moment, Maia looked up with a small smile. She was doing the same thing before she got locked out. Stupid Jon. His slender fingers pointed toward the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. "Phone is right there if you need it."

Maia nodded appreciatively and called down to the front desk, telling them about the situation. Letting out a sigh, she gently hung up the phone. "Front desk said five minutes until someone comes up with a master key card."

"The Bellas." The words left Colby's mouth effortlessly, leaving Maia a bit confused. What did they have to do with anything that involved the master key card. "That's who was supposed to be next door. The Bellas. At least one of them should have been."

"Oh. Jon said they were looking for me. No wonder there wasn't an answer." Maia let her hands run over the bare skin of her arms, a slight chill taking over her body. Its not like it was cold in Colby's room, it felt the same exact temperature as her room did, but something about being alone with him made her skin feel cold. "I should wait outside for the person with the master key ca-"

Colby stood and shook his head. "Not with you dressed like that. In the ring, fine. With a bunch of potential weirdos, no. Stay here. We'll just listen out for him."

In the back of Maia's mind, she was sure Colby at times could be classified as the weirdo. "Thanks."

"So, what's the deal with you and Jon?" Colby asked, opening his bottle of water and taking a sip. The question itself made Maia stop moving. What did he mean? "You two seem close."

"We have a few things in common. We're just friends although we won't publicly say we're friends because we like to say we hate each other when we don't. Its more like we're trying to get into heaven after the fucked up shit in our lives..." Maia felt like she had said too much. Her eyes met Colby's which had a small gleam in them.

Colby nodded in understanding. "Jon's that kind of guy." His fingers seemed to be more interesting than looking up at Maia. "Fucked up shit in your life? What did you mean?"

Maia shook her head back and forth, softly chuckling—although in reality, she didn't feel like laughing at all about any of the situations in her life. "Its a long story not made for about three minutes in waiting for a master key card." These were things she had decided to take to the grave, the only people who knew about any of this was of course, Jon and Phil from their time together. John Cena knew a bit about her life, Brie Bella and April as well but those three only knew bits and pieces. There were big chunks of her life she kept out of their reach and she aimed to keep it that way. Colby didn't need to know about any of that.

"Well, maybe next time." The words were so honest, they blew Maia back a bit. Did he really mean there'd be a next time the two would meet again and have this conversation?

"How's everything with you? You know, family, friends, your dog Kevin...things like that?" Maia desperately tried to keep the small talk rolling, trying to pry the situation away from her home life and more into Colby's. In honesty, she knew nothing about him besides his dog. Colby was a highly private person, all his wrestling accolades were out there to be seen, documented and known but his private life was just that, private.

Colby sighed and shrugged a bit. "I'm guessing they're all fine. I haven't spoken to them in a while. Kevin's good, he's staying with someone I know will take care of him while I'm on the road. You know how it is, the constant moving. Its not good for a small dog like Kev."

"I want a dog, but I'm here so I can't exactly take care of it." Maia sat gingerly on the arm rest of a chair that was by the door. "Maybe I'll get something simple. Like a Tamogatchi or a Gigapet. I haven't had one of those in forever and I'm awesome at keeping them alive."

"That's cheating" Colby laughed. The sound felt natural, nice and real even. Maia smiled softly and laughed herself. "Get a boyfriend or family member to watch your pet."

"I don't have much family and there's no boyfriend to have someone watch any kind of animal I decide to get." Maia decided to look down at her hands again, chewing on her bottom lip. Last Maia heard, Colby had a girlfriend but she kept her nose out of the gossip that floated through catering and the halls of the backstage areas.

Colby stood from his spot, stretching his arms over his head, he nodded. "Understandable." There was a small silence between the two, the faint sound of the television in the background. The guy was adamant about not wanting to get any kind of treatment for his addiction.

The young diva wanted to know more about Colby, she wanted to know about the stuff he asked her that she avoided to answer. Maia wanted to know about his family, his love life, the vague answers not sufficing in her mind. That was one of her downfalls, although she kept her nose in her own business and didn't pry for other's business, if the opportunity knocked, she wanted to know. It kept her ahead of the rest, the more she knew about them, the less they knew about her and she could keep them away. But it wasn't her place to ask anything, right? "What 'bout you? You know, girlfriend or boyfriend to take care of...Kevin." Before she could catch the words, they had already left her lips.

Colby shifted on his feet. "I'm straight, Maia." His eyes shifted to the floor. "As for girlfriend, that's no longer a thing. Touring and other personal reasons made it a bit easier for both of us to decide it was time to move on." Maia could hear the pain in his words just a bit. Damn, did she feel like shit. "I caught your match. You should have had that won."

"Can't win them all, I guess. I'm no Cena." The words were meant to be a joke, instead they came out entirely wrong. Still, Colby laughed. "My career isn't over with yet, I've still got time to win the title. Besides, it's better this way. Diversify my matches and chemistry with people in the ring. Blah, blah, you know the schtick." Maia didn't know when she should have looked away, but she couldn't. Colby had taken off the t-shirt he originally had on; the chisel of his upper body, the way every single curve and contour seemed more defined than the last. The cold feeling on her skin went away, quickly replaced with a bit a of heat. "Uh, good match on Monday against Cena."

Colby just laughed once before there was that deafening silence again. "I uh, I wanted to talk to you about Monday and well...Smackdown." Her eyes met his, the usual dark tint of his eyes that she associated with Seth Rollins was lighter and the cinnamon and amber flecks in his eyes remained. "I didn't mean to scare you, if I did. I uh-"

"You got caught up in character. I get it." Maia stood from her spot in the chair once she heard the ding of the elevator. Cracking the door open just a bit, there stood a worker from the hotel to open the door. "Master key card is at my door-"

"I'll walk you."

"It's not a mile walk, Colby." Maia joked. Colby laughed and proceeded to follow Maia to her door. His hand rested on her hip, eyes on the man that was too engrossed at staring at Maia. There was a small shock wave through her body as the slightly calloused fingertips of Colby Lopez grazed a small sliver of skin exposed. Maia couldn't tell if it was a good shock wave or a bad one. All she knew was she needed to pay attention.

"So how did you get your pretty little self locked out of your room, looking like that?" The man oozed creep and it made Maia shiver. Maia knew the truth and the story; jackass friend picked her up out of bed and locked her out because jackass friend is a jackass.

However Colby spoke for her, his eyes back to the darker shade she associated with Seth Rollins, the character. His grip a little tighter on her skin, his breathing a bit slower and more shallow. "It's my fault. I asked her to come over because I missed her and I needed to give her a hoodie of mine because she can't sleep without one. I guess Maia forgot to grab her key card in the process, right babe?"

Maia nodded with a smile, looking over at the man who just scowled. Maybe she should change rooms now, this guy creeped her out. Once he opened the door, Maia sighed happily and held the door open before it closed again. "Thank you sir!" Once the worker disappeared, her focus turned to Colby who had a smile, eyes lighter already the second the guy had walked away. "Babe?"

"Got him to stop looking, didn't it?" The two laughed as they also both looked down or in a different direction, avoiding each other's gazes. "I should get back, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

The former Divas champion nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you. I appreciate all the help."

"Good night, Maia."

Maia smiled and laughed. "Good night."

Once Maia closed the door, she leaned against it, sighing and shaking her head. Who exactly was she supposed to say goodnight to? Colby or Seth?

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><p>Wow, I didn't listen to anything while writing this chapter. That's a first.<p>

You know the usual ending statement. Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Five to nine comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter five.


	5. Anything You Want

Days later, I post a new chapter. My apologies my loyal readers as well as ones who may come along later. I don't want to talk about the pain I feel when writing about Dolph being the champion in this story and then knowing otherwise thanks to Monday night. I'm still mad about that. Anyway, onto the thank you's of sorts. Always a big thanks to _**nicoletisha**_ who sends me texts about my writing and to my friend _Heather_ which I'm not even sure if she uses her name anymore so I won't say it but she creeps this and she's another one on my ass about writing. Special thanks to the **guest** who reviewed, I'm glad you find this story and read it. Also thank you to _**xSamiliciousx, Seth rollins**** babe**_ and _**1 Crazy Brunette Goddess**_for reviewing. Fun fact, _**1 Crazy Brunette**** Goddess**_'s story _"Sellouts" _was a reason for me to come back to writing. Sadly _"Sellouts" _is completed BUT definitely check out her sequel for the story, _"Quitters"_, it just started so you have some time to catch up my friends.

I wrote a lot again. I'm so sorry. I also know you guys are just sitting patiently for more Maia/Colby interactions since a lot of them that you're getting is Charli/Seth ones, but fear not, the Maia/Colby ones are coming. The mental plan is to have them interact while on the UK tour so definitely stick around for that as well as the plan I have for this story. Its going to be crazy, I love it already.

You know the drill.

**DISCLAIMER: **Nothing's changed. Only own the OC, the incorporation of her into story lines and the idea of this fic. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. I'm broke.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Five: Anything You Want<strong>_

"Heard the news, congrats on landing the lead of _'The Condemned 2'. _That's so great." Maia sat around catering, plate of grapes in front of her and a bottle of water in her hand. At the moment, she had been sitting with Randy Orton who was adjusting his knee pads. It was another Raw show, this time coming live from Buffalo, New York. Although the young Diva loved the big glitz and glam of televised shows and pay-per-views, house shows were always fun. Crowds were a bit more intimate, they were smaller and less hectic of a day. The house shows went without a hitch, signs for her and people wearing her merchandise. It was all so overwhelming every time she saw it. Its why she got into this business, why she does what she does.

In all the places she lived, she can remember going to a house show when she managed to find herself in New York City. It was in 2001, a house show in the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Maia didn't exactly do friends, or family, so the shocker that she went with people she actually called family and friends—although not blood related to her at all—was enough to make anyone's head roll. It was the end of the night, she can't remember who fought who that night but there were a handful of things that she remembered to help her solidify that being a wrestler for the WWE had to be the most awesome thing ever. Maia could remember her heart jumping out of her chest at the sound of Kane's pyrotechnics, the red fire shooting from the turnbuckles not once, but twice. Her friend sat next to her and laughed entirely too loud at how both of them had jumped out of their own skin in terror. Maia could remember how the gong of the Undertaker could make the entire arena cheer, the lights lowering and the entire arena darkening, the massive room feeling colder. One sole purple light would shine, his entrance was elongated, dragged on and slow but it was perfect because that was the essence of the Deadman. The whole night was a blur, but she'll never forget how at the end of the night, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stood at the turnbuckle closest to her—after her friends and herself had managed to move down closer toward the floor unbeknownst to security guards—and the whole arena cheered. Lights flashed and flickered, his signature stance as he inhaled the air around him, everyone could smell what The Rock was cooking; however Maia was more enthralled by the people, by their reaction, the way they _loved _him, _admired_ him, _cheered_ for him.

It was that moment in time, in 2001, listening to the crowd, watching as Dwayne fed off the electricity only a crowd could bring. WWE is where Maia wanted to be.

"How long are you going to be out?" Maia asked popping a grape into her mouth. Randy chuckled, something most people didn't think he'd do because of his onscreen persona. Randy Orton was many faceted, something like a diamond. Yes, being a face wasn't his strongest suit, but he was a kind man when need be. At the time of Maia's come up to the main roster, he had helped her a bit and even when he was a heel, he stayed kind to the young woman. Randy had his hardships, often criticized for not being as open as the rest of the WWE roster, criticized for his reputation. When things fell through with Sam, no one wanted to know what Randy was feeling, the world kind of sympathized with Sam and Alanna. When Randy started dating someone new, its like the world decided to judge him once more for his choice of woman. Maia honestly didn't like his girlfriend, something about her put Maia off, but it wasn't her place to speak. If Randy was happy, that's all she could worry about. The older man grabbed two of the grapes off her plate and ate them. "Hey!"

Randy chuckled again. "You won't miss them." Standing straight, the St. Louis native shrugged. "I don't know. I know I'll be back in time for TLC probably. It'll be good for me, y'know? Let the WWE Universe miss me, take some time away and when I come back as a full on baby face, they'll actually be behind me." Maia scrunched her nose the same time Randy did as he spoke about his baby face turn. "All I know is, I'll definitely be back for the WWE Live Holiday Tour."

Maia smiled "That's my favorite tour. I hate the cold weather along the East Coast, but I do like the environment. It's like everyone came because they got tickets to see us for Christmas. I don't know, I think it's cool."

Randy stopped and smiled once again, fixing the black tape around his wrists as Maia spoke. "I never thought of it that way. Did you have any fond moments going to see the WWE for Christmas?"

Maia stopped for a second, scratching her head as she tried to think. "2010. I went to two dates back to back. I was running on like, 8 hours sleep combined on those two days. I had a blast though." The young woman looked down at her hands before looking up at Randy once more. "What about you?"

"I've been apart of this world for so long, I can't even remember a personally great Christmas with these numb nuts." Randy stopped and looked down at his feet before looking up at Maia. "I think for me, the Christmases that mattered and probably always will matter are the ones I get to go home to Alanna." There was always some kind of gleam in his eye when he spoke about his daughter. That was his world, he loved her and there was no denying that.

"Does that mean no Survivor Series in your hometown for you?" Maia bit down on her lip before seeing Randy visibly sigh. That was a no. "Sorry."

Randy shook his head back and forth. "Enough about me, let's talk about you. I hear you've become a staple in someone's corner lately." Of course the gossip would roll around the locker room. In two out of four house shows, Maia's matches had been changed to mixed tag matches with her and Nick versus Saraya and Claudio. The matches were fun, plus Maia would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the closeness and the time she had been spending with Nick. "What's the deal with you and Nicky?"

Maia's eyes just met the steely blue ones that belonged to Randy Orton. "Nicky? Seriously?"

"Legitimate question. What's up with you two?" Randy asked once more.

Maia didn't know the answer to that. Nick was the kind of guy who was kind. His dating history not exactly known, except for his past with Nikki Bella, but that was neither here nor there. She knew he was attractive, knew he was funny and kind and well, she had a slight crush on him. Of course, Maia had to remain professional about everything, after all this was both of their place of work. Instead, the young woman just shrugged. "Friends who work together would probably be the best title."

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><p>The Divas sat around in the locker room, watching as Raw came to a start and the crowd roared in cheers when Vince McMahon appeared. No one had really known he was here, Vince was a very low key man. For someone so vocal in story lines and his company, he kept a low profile. Every female in the locker room clung to their seats, especially when Vince spoke words that would not only make the roof almost feel as if it were going to come off the First Niagra Center.<p>

"_Let's raise the stakes so what if we add something like this...Team Cena versus Team Authority, but if Team Authority loses...then they will no longer be the Authority. Which means that the Authority would no longer be in power. "_

The crowd chanting "YES!" in Daniel Bryan fashion, the women in the locker room gasping at the sound of the announcement. What did that mean for everyone? Would they no longer have to listen to the Authority? Would it finally be an even playing field? It had been a while since the WWE Universe had saw the scales tip in favor of the baby faces, would this be the time for it tip back in their favor? What would happen to Seth Rollins as the golden boy of the Authority? Why did Maia suddenly care about what would happen to him?

"Holy shit..." Nikki breathed out, fixing her wrestling top over her bra, messing with the strings in the front of her ring gear. "looks like it just got super real in this place."

The girls watched on, stolen glances at Maia as Jon went to his match. Jon and Maia had a very loud argument when they reached the area for the house show. It wasn't something for them to get written up about for being unprofessional, throughout most of the argument, both of them were laughing. The fact that the locker room knew she was close to the proclaimed "lunatic fringe" and now they were arguing about him getting her locked out of her hotel room with shorts on didn't help the dating rumors. Maia walked away the second Cesaro had been busted open. They work in this environment, blood and gashes happen but the sight of it always made Maia a bit queasy. Nikki yelled for her to man up, Maia just flipped Nikki off. Typical fashion for the two Divas.

Time had passed, a knock on the door was heard. "We're all decent, you can come in!" Nikki yelled making all the women laugh. Once the door opened, the laughs went from loud to soft laughs and giggles. Maia's head turned toward the door and all she could do was bite down on her bottom lip. The sight of a mass of curly blond hair and dark roots, a black shirt and that infamous white Intercontinental title around his waist was enough to make her blush a bit. "What. A. Surprise." Nikki mumbled. Maia threw a shirt at her.

"Maia, hey. Um, I came to talk to you about something." Nick's words were soft spoken, she's never really been too sure if she's heard him that soft spoken in her entire time since working in the WWE. He was always a bit louder, even with his laughs. His promos were always spot on, always full of raw emotion and talent. He was that damn good. The woman nodded and leaned against the locker where her clothing was. "Remember that whole...good luck charm thing?"

This time Maia had to squint her eyes. "Smackdown? That was Charli, not Maia." The words were more of a joke than anything. In some weird retrospect, Maia and Charli were somewhat one and the same with some adjustments and a rather fucked up life. "Go on."

"Regardless on who said it, I could use it on the way to the ring. What do you say, Princess?" Nick always spoke so effortlessly with his words but there was something about the way his gaze was locked with hers, his eyes of paralyzing blue latched onto hers as if he were searching for the answer in her colored orbs of wonder. The slight stubble on his face covering his prominent jaw line, the curls of his hair covering his face. His right hand reached out and held her left gently and tenderly in his. The pad of his thumb caressing the top of her hand, the rest of his fingerprints leaving their mark on her palm. How could Maia say no? "Please?"

Maia just sighed with a slight smile. "You got it, Prince." The two weren't aware of the world outside of just them two, in that moment, no one mattered but them. "I'll be out in say, two minutes?" Nick just nodded and released her hand. The second their hands weren't touching it was like loud sounds hit their ears. Nick cleared his throat, nodding and respectfully saying goodbye to the women in the locker room before the door closed. Maia looked back at the women present once the door closed and she bit her bottom lip, raising her eyebrow. "What?"

"Put it away, girl" Brie mumbled with a smile. Maia shook her head and laughed, changing from her hoodie into a black and blue varsity jacket with a white tank top she had in her bag. "Just saying, you two were looking pretty close there."

"If you were a guy, you'd probably be poking my eye out with the boner you got from being with him just now. I'm just putting that out there." Nikki was always a bit more crass than Brie, but somehow Maia adored that about Nikki, even though sometimes she could be completely wrong. This wasn't one of those times, but Maia wasn't about to admit it. "Put Maia and Nick on the not allowed on the bus list, if there's no sex on your bus, they can't get on if all they're going to do is get off, if you know what I mean."

"I hate you Nicole Garcia." That was all Maia had to say before the laughs started again and Maia headed out of the locker room, Nick standing by the door. His foot propped against the wall, his eyes on the floor before looking over at Maia. "I'm ready."

"Nice colors." It was then Maia realized the colors matched Dolph Ziggler's new merchandise colors. Maia face palmed internally while Nick laughed and placed his arm around Maia's shoulders. "Let's go, hot stuff."

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><p><em>The camera switched to the backstage area, Dolph Ziggler ready to fight, focused and ready. Beside him, his new friend, former Divas champion, Charli. Her eyes would shift, looking around her then down to her feet before moving up to look at Dolph Ziggler. There was a hint of worry in her eyes.<em>

_Dolph's music hit, the crowd cheering and the Intercontinental Champion on high energy. Charli walked out beside him, clapping to amp up the crowd as well as Dolph Ziggler. He did his normal routine, jumping and shifting his weight between his feet, turning his belt around the right way and playing to the crowd. He was focused. Dolph entered the ring as he normally would, sitting on the middle rope and pandering to the crowd. Charli entered through the middle rope with a smile, leaning her arms against the top rope and looking over at Dolph. His gaze caught hers as he just winked at her. Dolph climbed on top of the turnbuckle, title in hand and talking out to the crowd. Charli just smiled and cheered for Dolph._

"_And ladies and gentlemen, the opponent..." Lillian Garcia announced. The silence was killing the both of them. Suddenly The Authority's music hit. Charli stiffened and looked toward the entrance. Dolph stood right beside her. The two in the ring watched as Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Kane, Joey Mercury, Jamie Noble and Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins emerged. Dolph leaned over toward Charli, tenderly grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to him, pulling her to stand behind him a bit. _

_'Stay close to me, don't let any of them near you' he whispered to Charli, both of them looking at the figures approaching the ring. Charli nodded, keeping her focus. Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kane entered the ring first, Seth Rollins' eyes locked on Charli and her eyes locked on him. He was the main one she was always told to watch. As Seth, Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble entered the ring, Charli rested her hand on the small of Dolph's back. _

"_Well, you all heard my fathers' announcement and I just wanted you to know that Triple H and I are ecstatic about this opportunity" Stephanie started. "You know why? Because we're winners. You know unlike most people who are afraid to stand up for what they believe in, to fight for their rights, to pin their hopes and dreams on false idols like John Cena—and by most people, of course I mean all of you." The crowd began to jeer a bit at that statement. "We're winners and that's why at Survivor Series, we are going to put together the strongest Survivor Series team in history under the leadership of Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins and his teammate, Kane." There was a smug look spread across Seth Rollins' face, Charli hated every second of that smug look. Triple H leaned in and whispered in Stephanie's ear, her face twisting in slight annoyance and dismay. "And of course their partner, the Viper, Randy Orton."_

"_Now Dolph, here's the thing, alright? We're not naïve, we hear everything everybody is saying, we hear the rumors, okay? And sure, a lot of people think that we are petty enough to punish those that might wanna team up with John Cena, that might wanna oppose the Authority. They think we would hold some kind of grudge against that..." There was a pause in his speech that made Charli grip at the back of Dolph's shirt and hold onto the fabric as tightly as she could. "We wouldn't. You're free to do what you want, Dolph. You're free to partner with who you want and side who you want but I would like you to—to question a few things about it because if you do side with John Cena...well then what happens?" Charli squinted her eyes at the question posed to Dolph. What did Triple H mean? Dolph raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say—let's just play this out a little bit, let's role play it. Let's just say...you win. Let's just say Team Cena...wins. Who do you think gets the credit for that, Dolph? Is it you? Do you get the credit for John Cena's team winning? Or does John Cena look like an even bigger hero because John Cena wins...with Dolph Ziggler on his team? Well let's play it out the other way. Let's say Team Cena loses. Who takes that heat, huh? John Cena gonna take the blame for that loss? Or is that gonna be you?" Dolph had his attention on Triple H, taking in his words and Charli shifted a bit, hoping that if she kept her hands near Dolph, he'd remember she was there and that he wouldn't make any drastic kind of decisions like joining Team Authority. "Is John Cena already setting himself up for the inevitable loss by saying 'well what did you expect...with somebody like Ziggler on my team?" _

_Dolph closed his eyes and sighed. He had always known he was the smaller man. Charli shook her head and whispered in Dolph's ear. 'Don't listen to him Dolph. He wants you to doubt yourself. Don't do it.'_

"_You know don't get me wrong, I don't think that there's anything about you Dolph that's a failure, I don't believe that at all. Its just...you know as well as I do that every time you seem to rise up to the top, there's...something in your way. Somebody that no matter how hard you work—and you do work hard, you bust your ass harder than probably any other superstar in the back, that's a fact—and here's the thing, who gets the credit for that? Is it Dolph Ziggler? Is it Dolph Ziggler? No. No, it's John Cena." _

_Dolph closed his eyes, the name seemingly stinging him right where it hurts. Dolph busts his ass every night to be the best and yet, John Cena got the best. Is this how it was supposed to be? Triple H just continued on. "Right? And you can call it whatever you want. You can say that's the glass ceiling, you can say it however you wanna say it, but if its a glass ceiling, you certainly can't see through it..." he started, mimicking John Cena's hand movements "and you certainly can't break through it, now can you?" Charli's eyes narrowed, Dolph was capable of anything but the way his face looked, its as if it he didn't believe it himself. To her right stood Jamie Noble and a bit further away to her right, was Seth Rollins. He loved every word leaving Triple H's mouth, they were affecting Dolph and Mr. Money in the Bank knew it. _

_Stephanie stepped forward, her turn to speak. "You have to ask yourself too, where is John Cena tonight?"_

_Triple H raised his eyebrows, eyes widening in amusement. "That's a good question, where is John Cena—he cares so much about his supposed team, he's not even here for you tonight. But...that's okay Dolph, let's just say it is what it is. Let's say you take the gamble. Let's say...let's say maybe it works out for you—maybe you get everything you wanted out of life, maybe teaming with John Cena gets you championship shots. You're the WWE World Heavyweight Champion! You get the girls..." Triple H's eyes landed on Charli who straightened her posture, Dolph's head turning slightly in her direction. "...you get the money, you get the fame, you get all their admiration! Maybe..." Triple H stopped speaking, his eyes trained on Dolph and the woman behind him. _

"_But that's an awful lot of maybe's." Steph's words were short but true. Charli could see the wheels turning in every single mind in the ring. _

"_It certainly is. It's a lot of maybe's and its a lot of uncertainties OR you can just pick up the phone and tell John Cena the answer is no." For a moment, Dolph seemed to consider it. "'Cause here's the thing Dolph, you know you have the talent, you know you have the ability. She knows you have the talent and she knows you have the ability." The last sentence was directed to Charli who couldn't help but blink slowly, her hand trembling from how hard she was gripping at Dolph's shirt. "And I know it. And the thing is, you want certainty? You wanna get rid of all the maybe's in your life?" The Chief Officer of Operations stepped back to his team, the team he wanted Dolph on. "We can tell you how. You make a decision right now and you pick up the phone and you tell John Cena the answer is no and all your uncertainty goes away, Dolph." Charli shook her head slowly, watching Dolph as he seemingly still contemplated the decision. "Write your own ticket. You can have anything you want. Anyone you want..." Again, Triple H's eyes landed toward Charli. "See this is where it gets interesting, right Dolph? This is where it gets interesting. You ask...we give. Anything you want, Dolph." Dolph's wrist brushed at his chin and mouth, Charli's arm moving as Dolph moved a bit. Her eyes seemed to plead with his but they never met. Charli could feel the resolve and the defeat coming. _

_Stephanie moved closer to Dolph and Charli. "Don't listen to them Dolph. Think about yourself. Think about your...friend here." Charli hated being a bargaining chip, she wasn't supposed to be a bargaining chip. Dolph's head hung low, the answer seemed clear in his mind. His fingers ran through his damp locks of hair, Charli pulled at his shirt slightly._

"_I'm not going anywhere. I'm not a prize, a trophy, a bargaining chip. Do what's best for you, not what's best for business, Dolph. Please" Charli spoke in Dolph's ear. Finally, his eyes met hers before moving forward toward Stephanie and Triple H. _

"_I can get anything? Anything I want?" Dolph asked. Charli started to release her grip on Dolph's shirt, her face falling a bit._

_Triple H and Stephanie smiled, their plan had worked by how this sounded. "You name it. Anything you want." Charli ran her right hand through her hair. "All you've gotta do is ask..."_

_Dolph began to nod his head, this couldn't be happening. "Alright, you know what I want?" Charli held her breath. "I want you out of power! I want you gone, I want your wife gone, I want your corporate goon gone, I want the sellout gone, I want these two jabroni's gone, I want them out of power, for good!" Charli couldn't help the smile on her face, clapping in excitement matching the crowd. He fooled her. He fooled everyone. Along the way, Dolph's hand found Charli's wrist and held onto it as he stared down the boss. Dolph held Charli behind him as she had been standing, Jamie Noble moving closer to her as Seth's eyes landed on the Diva. _

_Triple H's plan failed. "That's too bad. That's too bad, I really wanted to give all of you what you want. I really did. Steph and I want nothing more than to give to you what you want. But Dolph won't let it happen. So now...when you little twelve year olds are out there, tweeting your displeasure to me about this, just remember, that you have nobody to blame but Dolph Ziggler." Dolph didn't care, he was doing this for him, the right way. "See this is the crossroads in life where decisions are made, Dolph and if the wrong decision is made well sometimes—sometimes you end up...empty handed. I hope for your sake, you don't end up empty handed. 'Cause that could start at any time. Like right now. For example, when you defend that Intercontinental Championship, right now, against the future of the WWE, Seth Rollins."_

_The look of amusement and happiness spread across Seth Rollins' face, his eyes landing on Charli once again. This couldn't be happening, not here and not now. This was all part of the plan, if Dolph didn't join, he'd regret joining by being put through the gauntlet._

"_Good luck Dolph, you're going to need it. Oh and Charli, since you've taken a keen liking to Dolph Ziggler, why don't you stick around? Watch the match. Maybe you can give Dolph a reason to win, or a reason to get anything he wants." The Authority's music hit, Seth Rollins laughing in amusement and sheer irony. Nothing about this situation was remotely funny. Charli's hand rested against Dolph's shoulder, keeping herself close to the champion. Seth's eyes locked on Charli's, shaking his head and laughing._

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><p>Charli couldn't even remember how most of the match went. Although she had been standing there, watching the entire match, she couldn't focus. The odds were stacked against Dolph, the Authority still sitting ringside, Kane along with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble playing security. Charli had to watch her back as well as Dolph's. He worked hard to be the champion, he defended that championship at every chance he could—regardless if the challenge was earned or thrown at him by the people surrounding the ring. There were times where Charli just <em>knew <em>the title was leaving Dolph's hands and going right into the hands of the Authority. Just as she knew it looked bleak, Dolph would kick out and Charli would sigh, resting her head in her hands against the ring apron.

Seth went to ram Dolph's head into the turnbuckle, Charli winced at the thought. Her hands ran over each other before covering her mouth and her eyes squinting in pain. Dolph's foot extended out, stopping Seth, followed by an elbow to the gut and ramming the Authority's golden boy's head into the turnbuckle. Dolph was on the defense, punch after punch, throwing Seth into the opposite turnbuckle only to follow with tossing the man over. Dolph was in control, going for the pin. Kick out at two. The match continued on, control shifting between the two men.

Traded spots and bumps, reversals and kick outs, it was all stressful to watch. Charli would look over at Dolph before her eyes would shift over to Seth, the dark of his eyes unreadable. Dolph launched himself against the ropes, going for the FameASSer; Seth moved out of the way, rolling Dolph up for the pin. Dolph kicked out at two. Seth geared up to kick Dolph in the head, the Intercontinental champion reversed the maneuver, flipped Seth onto his back and catapulted Seth into the turnbuckle. This contest was brutal, Charli couldn't see watch it any longer. Looking up at the ring, Seth had Dolph in position for a powerbomb; not just any powerbomb, one into the turnbuckle which could signal the beginning of the end. It felt like the end was dragging on, Dolph would fight but it felt like the inevitable was being procrastinated.

Seth launched Dolph into turnbuckle shoulder first. The water had long gone left Dolph's hair, mass of blonde like a mound of fluff. Slowly he tried to stand, but the end had come near. Charli's eyes met Seth's, the darkness in them had returned. They weren't as dark as they usually had been in the past encouters, the gold flecks blending with his dark irises. Just as quickly as she saw the darkness leave, it returned as Seth's foot met the back of Dolph's head in a curb stomp. This was it, the championship was going into the Authority's hands. Seth laughed, arrogance oozing from his outstretched arms. He knew he had the match won, adding gold to his waist to match his briefcase. His eyes met the young Divas eyes who was ringside. His words were chilling to the spine.

_'No more golden boy, Charli. Real winner right here, toots.'_

His celebration went on, but Charli watched in confusion. Material in a color that resembled a shade somewhere between Columbia blue and Coral blue, tanned skin littered in ink design down the sleeves of his arms. Why was he getting involved in a match that Seth had practically won? Was he about to attack Dolph even more? Her eyes widened as he grabbed hold of Seth's arm, turning him to face him and swiftly did his finisher in the fashion he was known for.

Randy Orton RKO'ed Seth Rollins out of nowhere. Dolph had won via disqualification.

At that point, Charli didn't know if she was excited for Dolph keeping his title, confused by the situation—after all, Randy was part of Team Authority like Stephanie had said, or just the least bit worried about Seth for a split second in time.

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><p>"It happened so fast, I had no idea what was going on." Maia ran her hands over each other the same way she did when she stood ringside. Nikki and Brie had just returned from Nikki's match and sat next to Maia. "I didn't think that was going to happen."<p>

Brie shrugged "At least you made it out alive. We couldn't look away from you when you were in the ring with the Authority." Maia smiled small, looking down at her feet and shrugging a bit. "We honestly thought you'd be sold like a prized cow-"

"If that were the case, Dolph would have given up his title to save her." The words Nikki spoke flew out of her mouth without notice before looking up. In reality, the only reason why she looked up was because Brie elbowed her gently in the ribs. "Brianna! What? Its true."

Maia shook her head "No, its not. He worked hard for that." A knock was heard at the locker room door, which lead to Maia answering it. Her eyes met those of Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque. "Shit, am I in trouble?" she mumbled, Paul just laughed.

"No, you're not. Can we talk to you for a moment outside?" Paul asked. Maia nodded slowly and made a face to Nikki and Brie, mouthing _pray for me _as she exited the locker room. Following behind two of the main heads of the company, it was an overwhelming feeling that she had fucked up somehow. "Like we said, you're not in trouble. In fact, we wanted to praise you."

Maia raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"The performance in the ring was remarkable and we've seen online footage of the house shows from this week. You and Nick have some incredible chemistry together." Stephanie ran her fingers through her hair as she spoke before a smile spread across her face. The mention of Nick's name made the young Diva look down at her feet and bite down on her bottom lip. "We've spoken to Nick and we want both of you to work together for a bit of time. The story line is being written as we speak. I cannot disclose the plans we have for you, but we think this could be the story line—the angle you need to project you back into the forefront of the Divas division. If this is mapped out perfectly right, we can push you to the front along with Nicole and by Wrestlemania, you'd be a top Diva."

The young woman bit her bottom lip "I feel like there's a but coming along. Or that you guys are still in Authority mode and if I say no, I'd perish or something."

Paul laughed again. "We know how to shut it off, this isn't Triple H and Stephanie coming at Charli. This is Paul and Stephanie, talking to Maia Carson. No gimmicks, no trouble in saying no to the idea, no reprimands, nothing. This is a genuine conversation." Maia rocked on her heels, nodding and smiling. "We just wanted to give you some kind of heads up about the idea, when this will be in effect and everything. We hope to know more before Survivor Series, the second creative has come to terms with the story line, we will let you know. We apologize for the short informal conference but we must get going. We have another segment to do and a match to attend."

Maia nodded once more. "Thank you so much, Mr. Levesque. Mrs. McMahon-Levesque."

"Paul and Stephanie work just as fine. Don't worry." Stephanie's smiles were always warm and Paul's laugh reminded Maia so much of those that belonged to her friends' fathers who were kind to her. The two walked away, Maia watching their retreating figures before heading off in another direction. Walking back into the Divas locker room, Maia's eyes met the other Divas who were watching the feed of the show.

"Holy shit, you made it back alive. What happened?" Nikki was the first to stand and walk over to Maia's right side, Brie moving and flanking to her left side and AJ in front of her. "You're not even crying. I take it it was good news?"

Maia laughed. "I'm getting a new program. I'm going to work with Nick for a while and the full story line will hopefully be done by Survivor Series. It'll lead up to me being a top diva going into Wrestlemania. I don't..." she stopped, shaking her head and laughing as AJ hugged her tightly. Squeals of happiness was heard and Maia laughed. "You bitches are supposed to hate me! Don't make this easy!"

"You've worked as hard as we have for this!" AJ spoke with a smile. "This is what we came into this division for, to make this division something worth watching again. Regardless of the means, _Total Divas_, new women to come and shake up the division, new story lines, it doesn't matter. We're doing something." Nikki and Brie nodded, although most of the time the women were perceived as catty and evil, constantly jealous and looking over their shoulders, there were times they were genuinely supportive of people who deserved it. Maia's reputation wasn't one of trouble, someone who wanted to learn and work and be the best. "But if you want a fight, we can have one and we'll go down to hell fighting."

Another knock was at the door and all the divas released their hold on Maia. Brie was the one to answer the locker room door. "Oh Maia..." the words were a bit sing song, making her shake her head. "You've got a visitor."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." The former Divas champion laughed and looked up to see Nick standing in the door frame of the locker room. "Hey. I take it you heard the news."

"You and I for a while, seems like a good deal." Nick smiled and shook his head. "Hey listen, we should discuss what's going to happen with us. We're going to be seen a lot so, we should go over ground rules. I'm assuming you have some."

"Ground rules?" Maia repeated, eyes squinting in confusion, head tilting to the side.

"Yeah. You know, where not to touch on accident, what's okay to say or do. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Nick was a genuine guy, someone who was sweet. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable working with her. "I'd hate for you to go to Steph and Paul and say how much of a jerk I was."

Maia laughed. "Oh I see, this is just to save your ass. I get it. All makes sense now, prince." The two shared a laugh before hearing her name faintly called in the locker room. Maia and Nick chose to ignore it.

"You heard what happened in the ring, all the words. I could be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion! I'll get the girls, the money, the fame, all WWE Universe's admiration!" Nick joked, his smile shining brightly, making Maia shake her head. "Triple H also said you know I have the talent and the have the ability. Was he lying?"

Maia bit her lip and shook her head "Not one bit."

"So here I am, writing my own ticket. You know, since I can have anything I want." Nick raised an eyebrow, inching closer. "How about tomorrow? Before Smackdown?"

"Sounds good. I'll catch you around, Prince." As Nick walked away, Maia reached for the doorknob to the locker room, her eyes looking over at the screen. Randy and Seth's match had become full on mayhem and now, because of Randy not complying with the Authority. "What is-?" Maia's eyes met AJ's before they both looked back at the screen, watching as Seth curb stomped Randy's head into the steel steps. Well, there was his way of being out to film the movie. There was a dangerous look to his eyes, but Maia could see the difference. His eyes were lighter, a bit of restraint in them. His eyes weren't dark like when Maia was near Nick or when the man with the master key card had come around.

Could it be Seth bleeds into Colby, when Maia was around? The real question in Maia's mind—besides that one swirling about Seth bleeding into Colby when she was around—was why?

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><p>I actually used songs this time, whoops.<p>

**Young Volcanos** - Fall Out Boy  
><strong>I Will Not Bow<strong> - Breaking Benjamin  
><strong>Prelude 12-21<strong> - AFI  
><strong>Mercy<strong> - Hurts

You know the usual ending statement. Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Four to six comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter six.


	6. Beauty In The Breakdown

My apologies for a late chapter. I spent a lot of time writing this with headaches and pain. Then my plan was to post this before Survivor Series started on Sunday but wow, can we just love Dolph Ziggler to pieces!? That man carried the team. I love John Cena to death, okay? I do. But I know where the credit goes, and that's to Dolph Ziggler who eliminated 80% of Team Authority. I'm so proud of him and that entire match was just amazing and I cannot wait to write that chapter out in this story. The "thank you for reading my story" shout outs go to: **_Seth rollins babe, xSamiliciousx, 1 Crazy Brunette Goddess, Peachilee_ **and I guess that was two different _guests_ who reviewed, you are all awesome. Also as always, thank you to **_nicoletisha_** because she deals with me as I write these things and then reads the chapters after I post them and tells me how much she loves the story but hates me for being a good writer.

This chapter has a bit of jumping but you'll be able to keep up with it. Maia/Nick stuff before we start getting into Maia/Colby in the upcoming chapters. I'm excited for that. You also learn a little bit about Maia but you'll also have a lot of questions about her as well by the end. It also shows how well Maia and Jon know each other. He's a key player in this fic, he's Maia's best male friend and he'll probably play middle ground for all three characters somehow.

You know the drill.

**DISCLAIMER: **Still only own the idea of this fic and the OC. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. I'm broke. I know its hard on you losing your jobs as the Authority, but I am not a target. That isn't best for business.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Six: Beauty in the Breakdown<strong>_

What does one wear when hanging out with someone but you're not sure if its a date or not? It was the equivalent to a medical emergency in a woman's world. Maia stared into her travel luggage. There were usually two, or at most, three travel bags with her. One was always her bag full of ring gear, at least three or four different sets in different colors, ring boots and numerous modified versions of her merchandise. The other would be clothing she carries with her, most of the time she ships back home the clothing she didn't want to wear anymore when she ended up shopping with the Bellas and it led to an impromptu shopping spree. With the UK tour coming close, she currently had three bags to travel with.

Maia wasn't the one who went on dates, growing up and constantly moving left no time for dating. Once she was old enough to date, guys didn't really want to date her. She was a late bloomer and of course she began to take wrestling a bit more serious so her career seemed to be a priority. Maia liked fashion, she was a girl in that concept, but the concept of dresses and things to wear on dates were lost on her. The first year she went to the Hall of Fame ceremony, Maia basically praised Brie for picking out her dress and last year the praise went to Nikki. If it weren't for her friends in high school, she probably wouldn't have worn a pretty dress to prom.

In a situation like this, there was only one thing to do, call the women who knew what to do. Taking a picture of the mass of clothes in her bags, she made a group text to the women she trusted to dress her. _"Serious trouble. Do I wear something for a date or something for a casual hang out?"_

It felt like it took ten long minutes, time ticking on and on before she knew Nick would be there. A series of different knocks tapped against her hotel room door and Maia rushed to the door. There stood Nikki, Brie, AJ and Saraya with smiles on their faces. "He'll be here in like, an hour."

"You should probably worry about what you're wearing underneath your clothing than the actual clothing with the sexual chemistry between you two." Maia instantly wanted to slam the door in Nikki's face after she said that, instead she just laughed and shook her head. "What are we working with?"

Brie whistled low, her eyes raking over the hotel bed. "Looks like we're working with everything minus ring gear at this point. It's like Christmas came early for Nicole. This is her thing." AJ flanked at Brie's side, biting down on her bottom lip as Saraya fell to Nikki's right. "What exactly is the deal with you and Nick in about an hour? The more specifics we know, the better we can dress you."

Maia shrugged and stammered a bit before shaking her head. "We're hanging out. Just he and I. Alone."

"So is this like a date?" Saraya asked, her pale skin contrasting with the dark clothing she was wearing. Not many girls can pull off all black anything, but Saraya did it effortlessly. "These are things we need to know-"

"And by we, we mean mainly Nikki and Brie. And maybe myself slightly..." AJ added with a smile. Saraya giggled at AJ, Maia did as well.

Again, Maia shrugged. "Nick never specified if this was a date or not. He just wanted to hang out and get to know each other better before the story line we have. He wanted to know if there were ground rules I had and things like that."

Nikki nodded her head, looking down at the clothing before looking at Maia out the corner of her eyes. "Did you suggest hanging out with him, or did he suggest it?"

Maia shifted on her feet, looking down at the carpet before looking back up. "We were joking around, making fun of the promo that was cut in the ring..." the four girls watched Maia closely as she recalled everything. "...he said he was writing his own ticket since he could have anything he wanted. Then he said _'how about tomorrow? Before Smackdown'_ and well, the rest is history. We're caught up to speed and I've got like forty five minutes—give or take about thirteen minutes—to get dressed before he gets here."

This time, Brie smiled. It was a smile Maia half expected from Nikki upon the news, but it was her twin who beat her to the punch. "He suggested it, kind of came on a bit, and you accepted? This means he probably planned this out. This is so a date."

"Is it?" Maia asked, her eyes looked as if they would fall out of her socket. The last date Maia could recall being on was with a friend of hers back in Detroit, it was a double date. The guy was a pig, he made rude comments throughout the night and kept trying to move his hand up her thigh. When Maia said she was a WWE Diva, the guy laughed and said could he get a preview of her matches in bra and panties since that's what the women basically did in matches. Maia slapped him, poured her drink on him and punched him in the nuts before leaving out and leaving him with the bill. Before that jerk was a date with Phil, which wasn't much of a date at all; dinner at a diner, a walk through the small park near the hotel and then back to his room to talk about television, movies and gripes about the job. They didn't have much in common that night, why the two of them attempted to even be something more than friends was mind boggling. "Shit."

Saraya stepped forward, her head and body tilted a bit as she tried to get Maia's gaze focused on her. The British beauty placed her hand on Maia's upper arm and smiled. "Is this your first date?"

"What?! No! No. I've—I've been on dates before, I just don't go on them much. I barely get asked on them." Maia sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair, which managed to be straight compared to its usual waves.

Saraya laughed. "You've got to be kidding me." There was a silence and the two diva's eyes met. It was then Saraya stopped laughing and shook her head. "You're fuckin' kidding me! How?! You're beautiful. You mean you don't get-"

"I have high expectations or—or maybe I'm too aggressive for men. The last guy I went on a date with, I punched him in the nuts!" Maia spoke, now she was starting to pace.

AJ winced "I remember you telling me about that guy. He sounded like he deserved that punch to the nuts. I would have kneed him in the head, but to each their own I guess."

"Can we just figure out what Maia is going to wear!?" The fact that it was Nikki who spoke up shocked all the Divas. Normally, she'd jump in on the ganging up on Maia to watch her flinch and blush, it was like her own source of entertainment. "We've got a lot of clothes to go through and very little time. Plus we have to do Maia's makeup-"

"Whoa, whoa. Makeup?" Maia asked. "What if this isn't exactly a date between he and I? I mean we could be wrong about this. What if I just...wore this?" Maia asked, holding up a flannel printed shirt.

Nikki quickly snatched the shirt from Maia's hands. "Oh no. No, no. You cannot wear that out on a potential date with Nick."

Brie raised an eyebrow. "Why not? I think its cute." Brie took the shirt into her hands and held it up with a slight smile on her face. Maia made a mental note the next time Brie needed a shirt to let her hold that one.

"How the hell are you married?!" Nikki joked, making Brie hit Nikki's arm lightly.

It felt like forever before a simple outfit had been chosen. Somehow Maia's words hit the ears of the Divas helping her get dressed. AJ picked out her light blue distressed jeans with an open knee. Brie picked up a steel grey triangle crop top that happened to compliment the black Rozalia jacket Saraya picked up and practically suggested with everything. Nikki handled Maia's make up, all light with smokey eyes and heeled black leather boots that stopped mid calf. It felt like the scene from _Clueless _to Maia, when Cher was about to go on the date with Christian and she just felt red, hot, blushy and nervous only to figure out the next day Christian was gay. What if Nick was gay? He couldn't have been gay, he dated Nikki. The sound of a text coming through to Maia's phone made every single woman in the room stop. All eyes landed on the phone. Maia exhaled and unlocked the phone, reading the text she received.

"Its from Nick..." Maia spoke, squinting her eyes a bit to read the font on the screen. "_Meet you downstairs in five, took too long in the shower._ Well then..."

Nikki chuckled. "Probably had to take a few extra minutes because he got excited about your date."

"You're fuckin' gross, Nicole." Maia replied.

Now Maia was running late. Nikki and Brie managed to rummage through Maia's jewelery, AJ and Saraya stood with Maia with their arms folded, wondering when the troublesome twins were going to be done going through Maia's things. As the elevator descended down to the lobby, Maia kept her eyes on the ground. What if she was overdressed up for something that wasn't exactly a date? What if she was _underdressed_ for a date and makes a horrible impression on Nick? This was entirely too stressful, a main reason why Maia Carson doesn't do dates. The young woman stepped off the elevator and made her way to the lobby. The second her eyes caught sight of Nick, all she could do was smile. Black blazer over a v-neck tee in a hue of blue she couldn't identify but it was bright and flashy as his in ring counterpart, Dolph Ziggler. Blue jeans and black sneakers to complete the outfit and a single white rose in his hand, it was classic Nick.

"I'm sorry I'm late, apparently a woman is never dressed unless she has some kind of jewelery on..." Maia spoke with smile. "Nicole's words, not mine."

Nick just shook his head and smiled his bright smile. "Sounds like Nicole. I've heard it enough to know its her words." His eyes of piercing blue looked down at the rose in his hand and coughed lightly. "This is—well, its for you. White is usually a sign of purity."

"Its also for innocence, sympathy and spirituality but most commonly and traditionally known for new beginnings. Its a bridal rose, Nick." Maia spat out before her eyes widened and her mouth opened agape. "I'm a fuckin' nerd, I'm s sorry-"

Nick just laughed. "Its okay. I mean, you're right in a way. Its a new beginning." His hands ran over his blond tresses of hair that was pushed back into a ponytail instead of his usual curls. Maia made a mental note to remind Nick to touch up his dark roots. "So, we've got two and a half hours before we need to head to the arena, I figured we'd get to know each other. Grab a bite to eat, talk over everything we might need to go over for the story line, things like that. I mean we've worked in the same company for almost two years, and I know not much about you."

Maia liked it that way, instead she just laughed lightly. "Well then, since you have everything planned out, let's get this started." She almost said it was a date, but the small piece of her knew better than to say anything about that, at least not yet.

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><p>The two walked along the streets of Albany, NY. The weather wasn't exactly one of the warmer days, wasn't exactly great but it was at least decent enough where Maia didn't freeze to death in her choice of clothing. Instead of taking a cab or calling for a car, Nick and Maia decided to walk the streets to the diner which happened to be not too far from the hotel. Nick had driven his rental car to the diner a bit ahead of time so both he and Maia could have a ride to the arena and a bit more time together. There wasn't much silence since Nick decided to ask Maia about her day and how she was feeling, which was a new thing for her since no one really asked her those things lately. When the two entered the diner, Nick led Maia to a booth toward the back and slid in the seat across from her.<p>

"It was either this or Applebees and well, the closest one isn't too close to here. I'm trying to make sure we make it to the arena in time." Nick chuckled softly as his eyes peered down at the table.

Maia smiled and laughed "I mean, we should have gone. We might have gotten some kick ass discount. If I remember correctly, aren't you the champion of Applebee's?" Nick couldn't help but laugh, Maia joining him. Somewhere in his scratch and clawing toward the top—albeit he's still fighting his way there—he made an Instagram video of him with a title belt from Applebee's. Needless to say, it was hilarious and it garnered a bit of attention from not only the WWE Universe—who seemed to stand behind him more and more now at that point, but by the higher ups. It took a bit of time, but he got there.

After the duo ordered their food, Nick sighed and looked at his cup of water. "So, let's get any kind of worries or gripes out of the way with this story line. My main deal is, I don't want you to feel like you have to do the things April did on screen with me. April and I had fun, it was an understanding and she was cool with it. I don't want you to feel like you have to jump on me and kiss me or anything like that."

Maia smiled softly. "I'm aware. April and I are two different people. For right now, it seems its a friendship and not an onscreen relationship like you and April had. However this doesn't mean I'm opposed to an onscreen relationship and kissing on screen and all that. If the time called for it, I'd do it. I trust you, Nick. You're one of the decent guys out there so its not like I'd be setting myself up for any kind of groping. You're not a serial groper, are you?"

"Not unless you're into that and you have a safety word." Nick was known for a bit of crass humor, he often did stand up and it was times he couldn't shut off the jokes. Maia giggled at Nick's humor, which made him smile in return. "How come you're so...guarded?" Nick asked. The young woman's eyes met the ones of blue that belonged to the man across from her, biting down on her bottom lip and exhaling quietly.

The young woman just shrugged. "I just am." The words were simple. "I had a pretty fucked life, its not something I really like to talk about, but being guarded is part of my charm. I keep people at an arms distance so they can't judge me."

Nick's hand reached out and touched hers ever-so-gently. "That keeps the people who want to protect you away. I'm not saying you're not strong enough to fight, but I am saying sometimes its better to work as a tag team. All in all, the ones who won't judge you should be the ones you trust. After all, they're the ones fighting to be let in."

"Would you fight to be let in?" Maia asked, her eyes shining just a bit at Nick's words.

Nick smirked before nodding once. "Only if you allow me close enough to fight the walls you've built."

Maia looked down at her hand, currently underneath Nick's warm hand. "Is this a date?" she blurted out. The second the words left her mouth, she felt her tongue go dry like sandpaper. What the hell was she thinking? "I'm sorry, I'm an idiot on a daily basis."

"No, its not a date, Maia" Nick spoke softly with a smile on his face. "If this were a date, I would have sprung for a good dinner. By a good dinner, I mean Applebee's with my champion discount." Nick didn't press much from Maia, after all her life story is hers to tell and when she was ready, she'd tell him.

Maia looked down at her food, although it looked amazing, she couldn't eat. There was a nagging at the back of her mind; here was someone who wanted into her life somehow, yet she was ready to keep him as far as she could. "I moved around a lot..." Maia started. "My family split up pretty early in my lifetime. There's my older brother, Christopher and my older sister, Reagan. We all managed to kind of somehow..." Maia continued, her hands spreading around the table. "My siblings and I, we were born over in Charlotte, North Carolina. By the time I was four, our new home was Trenton, New Jersey, without my mother. By six it was Baltimore, Maryland and then three weeks before I was seven, it was Cincinnati. I was nine when my family moved to New York City and we moved shortly after I turned eleven. Then my brother, sister and I moved to Detroit when I was twelve. We stayed there the longest, until I was about eighteen. By that time, I didn't really think I had a family. I stayed with an uncle and an aunt." The young woman refused to look up by that point in time. She didn't want to meet Nick's blue eyes that would be full of either judgment or sympathy she didn't want. "At sixteen I moved out of my uncle and aunt's house. I moved in with my older brother Chris, who was a dick to me at this point. I didn't stay there long. Once I graduated high school, I moved to Florida where FCW was. I didn't make it there but I made it in the indies, even was in CZW for a short amount of time. By short, I mean, short. After that, I went to FCW, then up to the main roster."

Nick was just silent, listening to her every word. There were so many questions he knew he had to be answered because there were so many open spots in her life she didn't dive into. Why did they move? Where was her mother? Why did the family break apart? Why was she left to be on her own at such a young age? In some ways, it kind of clicked on why her and Jon Good were friends, fucked up lived would do that to you.

"You can say something. Anything" Maia spoke, her words soft as a whisper. If Nick didn't listen closely enough, he wouldn't have heard it. Nick just sighed and laughed. "What's so funny?"

Nick shook his head and looked up at Maia. "Nothing. Just funny watching you squirm while letting someone in like it's the hardest thing to do. Like you expected me to run, yet here I am with a million questions that I won't ask until you're ready to talk again."

Maia smiled softly. "You're a really good guy, Nick. I hope you know that." A sigh followed shortly behind her speech. "I'm serious. You're charming, kind, sweet-"

"Totally hot, don't forget to throw that in there" Nick joked with a soft laugh. Maia just shook her head. The two continued on with their time, discussing movies, music, television and books. The time flew by, before they knew it, there was an hour before they needed to be at the arena.

The duo paid and left the diner, laughing and enjoying their time together. They sang along to hair band songs really loudly and obnoxiously but it didn't matter. Maia couldn't even tell you the last time she felt this free, this happy with someone who barely knew her. There were a million walls posted in the way, but Nick wanted to stick through it and break them down. Maia and Nick greeted fans who waited outside the venue, took pictures and signed autographs for those who were there. Some asked if they were dating, Nick and Maia would just laugh and shrug; they'd tell the fans they're just good friends but then within that same minute make some kind of pass at the other, calling them hot stuff or cuties of some sort. There was no doubt that encounter wouldn't end up on the dirt sheets and all over the internet within twenty-four hours from now. As the duo backed away from the fans, laughing with them at their awesome signs and talking to them about the show, Maia's phone beeped.

"Hey" Maia spoke to Nick over the crowd. "April just sent me a text, she has my bags in her rental and she just got here. Want to come with me to go get them?" Blond tresses nodding with a smile as Maia and Nick looked for the car. They were quite a distance away from the fans, further back where one of the superstar entrances were. Once April emerged with Danielle—Summer Rae to the rest of the world—Maia and Nick headed in that direction to the car. "You are going to be my best friend forever for bringing my stuff to the arena" Maia spoke, skipping a little in the heels she wore.

Maia gripped at the handle of the luggage, struggling a bit. "Don't tell me I'm stronger than you are, Carson!" April joked. Maia shook her head no. "Maia, you're going to break the car. Wiggle the top of the luggage."

"Thanks." With that said, Maia moved the top of her luggage and the bag moved effortlessly; a crack in the cement of the parking space messed with Maia's balance, her heel getting caught in the crack and her ankle twisting completely. "Shit! Ah!"

"Maia!" Nick called out, reaching out to her and grabbing her waist to hold her up. "Are you okay?"

The young woman closed her eyes as a sharp pain shot through her ankle. "I'm okay. Just twisted my ankle. The crack in the parking spot." Maia laughed it off, attempting to stand before feeling that sharp pain again, gripping at Nick's arm. "Ow! Shit. Okay, Standing is a no."

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><p>Maia wasn't cleared to compete on Smackdown that night. Nattie had been asked to take Maia's place, which the blonde happily obliged and then demanded Maia got off her ankle. Nattie was always a bit protective of Maia, maybe because they had a mutual respect for each other or the fact that Maia somehow was deemed the little one between the two—which more than likely had to do with their age diference.<p>

"I demand some water and more ice for my ankle. Chop chop my beautiful servants!" Maia joked from her seat in front of the television in the women's locker room. April and Nikki looked over at Maia with a smile, laughing at her antics. "I cannot move, I am a pretty little damsel in distress-"

"Damsel my ass, Maia. Your heel got caught in the crack in the ground, you sprained your ankle where you can't compete tonight. You're fine. If Nick came back here with another single white rose, you'd be perfectly fine to run into his arms" Nikki teased, handing Maia a bottle of water. "I expect all the details about what happened.

Maia nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you for the water though. I need to take the Aleve the doctor gave me to dull this stupid pain." The young woman's eyes focused on the television in front of her. Christian was on the screen, he spoke about his upcoming guest appearance on the SyFy show, _Haven_ with Adam Copeland—Edge as he is best known in the WWE Universe—and his guest was none other than Dean Ambrose.

Jonathan Good and Dean Ambrose essentially at any given time could be the same person. Both men were at times slightly off their rockers, but at more times, they were different. Maia always loved to see Jon switch it on to become Dean Ambrose in his small mannerisms and the movements he made; the way he'd move his shoulders, the stance he'd take in the ring when speaking in the microphone, it was small things that made her love watching the man known as Dean Ambrose. Maia chewed on the slice of apple from the plate filled with fruit, her eyes trained on the man on the screen as he spoke.

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><p>"<em>Bray Wyatt likes to play mind games..." Dean Ambrose spoke, voice deep and full of gravel. His intention was on Bray Wyatt, the self proclaimed 'Eater of Worlds' who came in and completely ruined Dean's chance at decimating and completely destroying his former Shield brethren, Seth Rollins. "...with people who can't handle the volume being turned up just a little bit. He's a manipulator who preys on weak minded people and fortunately for Bray Wyatt, my mind is a very dangerous place to be." Dean kept his eyes of steel blue on Christian, the man in front of him as he continued to speak. "Bray Wyatt thinks he knows me, and he doesn't. Nobody knows me." Shifting in the ring, Dean paced a few steps. "See, I can play games too. You know why I do this, Christian? You know why I do this? 'Cause its fun."<em>

_There was a darkness in orbs so light and bright it could intimidate anyone. That's why Dean Ambrose was the Lunatic Fringe, he was unpredictable and that in itself was scary. "I like danger. I like fighting, I like adrenaline, I like riding the edge of the lightning bolt. I get a sick thrill from pulling my broken body off the mat, spittin' blood and teeth and throwing more punches and I'm not scared to go down any dark alley with Bray Wyatt. _

_Black and white images appeared on the titantron and before the entire arena knew it, Bray Wyatt had appeared. His words were always as if he were preaching to a choir, speaking straight out his fireflies as he called them. Bray's words could captivate an audience like no other, could keep you tuned into him and only him with ease. He wore a trademark Hawaiian floral printed shirt, black shirt underneath. His right hand wrapped in black tape, black hat on his head and khaki pants. Bray sat in his rocking chair, the staple of his character as well as the lantern he carried. "You have nothing to fear, Dean..." Bray had been speaking for a while but he was starting to get to his point, his main focal point. "...because you...have nothing to lose. I mean, there was a time though—wasn't there Dean—a time where you did have something to fight for. A time when you had safety and security...with The Shield." Bray's sinister laugh echoed through the arena, Dean pacing back and forth in the ring. "But what happened, Dean? What happened? That love was ripped from you and that security was taken away and it has left you now like a fish out of water, gasping for air." Wyatt's laugh echoed again, the second time a bit more sinister than the last. "But don't you know who I am, Dean? And don't you know what it is that I do? I heal. I healed Erick Rowan. I healed Luke Harper and I could heal you too...all you have to do...is take my hand."_

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><p>Maia watched the promo between Bray and Dean in amazement. These two had microphone skills unlike any other for the roster today. Nikki teased her about her intense gaze at the screen, playfully joking it was her undying love for Dean or maybe a growing crush on Bray. The two laughed until words rang through Maia's ears that made her heart drop and her pulse rise. The words made the young woman stop all trains of thought before they all lead to the man in the ring.<p>

"_What do you have to lose? What do you have to lose, Dean? I mean, your own father turned his back on you."_

The former Divas Champion's eyes widened, her posture straightened. "No..." she whispered. Her eyes locked on the man in the ring. Dean stopped pacing, stopped moving. His eyes were focused on Bray Wyatt at the top of the ramp, darkened irises as if they were going to change color completely. There was a hood of anger over his eyes, something no one knew was there if they didn't know him well enough or weren't looking hard enough. Behind the anger was a million other emotions and there was a look in his eyes that spoke leaps and bounds that words couldn't dream of forming.

"_Does he still send you postcards from prison?"_

Maia's mouth dropped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. The ones who kept their noses in the wrestling world knew of Jon's tumultuous relationship with his family, or lack of family as he often pointed out. "No. No. No" she repeated, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Maia?" Nikki spoke softly, bending down to meet Maia's sitting frame. "What is—what is going on-"

"I know that all story lines, all promos are to have the okay from the wrestler when being written or potentially used, especially when private life is concerned but..." Maia started, her eyes looking over at Dean in the ring. "Jon wouldn't want this to be a focus. He wouldn't..."

Nikki sighed and rubbed Maia's back. "Are you scared for him?"

"Scared for him?" Maia asked. "No. I'm terrified. That's my friend—no matter how much we say we're not, he's one of the closest people I have here, he knows every stupid little thing about me and I know about him and..." she trailed with a sigh. "...and I know that's not Dean Ambrose in the ring. That look, that intense stare? That's Jonathan Good. That's pissed off, angry, 'I don't want to talk about my family' Jonathan Good and nothing good can come from this."

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><p>The rest of the night was a blur to Maia. After the promo, the young woman argued with Nikki to leave the room and hobble on a set of crutches to find Jon. She looked everywhere from catering to Gorilla, the dark parts of the arena where the company used to shoot Shield promos and his own locker room. Nothing. When she finally found Jon, he was walking back into the arena toward Gorilla. He reeked of cigarettes and his hair was more of a usual disheveled mess. Jon's eyes weren't as dark, but you could see he wasn't exactly okay. Jon smirked at the sight of Maia and crutches, he hadn't exactly seen her with them when she was in the trainer's office because he left to prepare for the show. Maia just sighed and hobbled to him.<p>

"You look like shit" Jon spoke lowly.

"You look like shit on a daily basis but we don't talk about it, now do we?" Maia retorted before reaching her arms out and hugging Jon tightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jon sighed, wrapping one arm around her small waist. "Because I knew, but I didn't know that's how far it would have gone." His hand gripped at her side, chin resting on the top of her head. "I don't want to talk about it though."

"Wasn't going to ask you to. I was going to suggest getting drunk and watching horror movies until we leave for the UK." Jon laughed lightly at her words before his fingers moved in a fashion against her skin that would make her laugh. "What?"

Jon simply nodded behind her at the television playing the match currently coming to an end. "Your boy's match is on and you're not sitting down watching it."

"You're more important—wait, Nick's match?" Maia asked, loosening her grip on Jon just a bit, turning around to see the television. Currently, Dolph Ziggler had been facing Kane inside a steel cage. Maia's eyes watched intently on the match, right as Dolph walked right into the big boot from Kane. Maia winced, her body frame lightly leaning against Jon's but more on the crutch secured on her left side. Kane went for the pin, Dolph kicked out at two. "Come on Nick, win."

Jon chuckled and shook his head. "You're growing soft on the kid, Carson."

"Kiss my ass, Good." Maia didn't need Jon to scare away Nick, not that Nick was easily scared. "He's just a really good guy and he worked hard for the title. I'd hate to see him lose what he's been scratching and clawing for." None of it was a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Maia's heart quickened a bit when she'd look at Nick. It'd quicken when she looked at Dolph Ziggler the character as well. She couldn't tell Jon that, for all he knew she was keeping everyone at bay. "What?"

This time, Jon sighed. "If you like him, you should tell him." This wasn't like Jonathan Good to say. "Look, I'm not blind okay? I know you two went out and the way he looked at you when he helped you hobble your dumb ass into the trainer's office, he likes you. Besides, you wore heels. When's the last time you wore heels?"

Maia watched as Dolph hit a ZigZag on Kane, scurrying over for a pin; Kane kicked out at two. Maia huffed and shook her head. "I wear heels a lot you tool, shows how much you pay attention to me." Shifting a bit, the young woman turned to Jon and shook her head. "You know why I keep people away. Nick knows I moved around a lot, he knows bits and pieces and if he knew everything, he'd be gone. How you're still here, I don't fucking know." The woman shook her head slowly back and forth, straight strands of hair hitting her face. "Its better for me this way. Keep him far, keep everyone far and I won't latch on and feel dependent only to lose them like I lose everyone else."

"Then why do you hang onto me?" Jon asked. Maia shrugged. In her mind, she knew it was because they were too much alike, he wasn't going anywhere. Jon turned Maia around to watch the match. Dolph Ziggler clung to the outside of the cage; Kane kicked the steel door into Dolph's stomach. The Intercontinental Champion hung over the door. "This man gets beat up for a living..." Jon started, pointing at the screen where the match continued. "He gets bumps, bruises, concussions, he can handle anything what are you afraid of?"

Maia's eyes lit up as Dolph jumped down from the steel cage door, winning the match. It felt weird now for her to be watching the match from a screen when she had grown accustomed to watching his matches ringside and cheering him on. "I'm afraid that Dolph Ziggler can handle all my bullshit but Nick Nemeth can't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pull a Jonathan Good and tell you I don't want to talk about it, head to the locker room, get my shit and pretend none of this happened."

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><p><strong>Find Me<strong> – Boyce Avenue  
><strong>Sirens<strong> – Cher Lloyd  
><strong>All I See Is Gold<strong> – Bridgit Mendler  
><strong>I Will Not Bow<strong> – Breaking Benjamin

I hate repeating this statement, but eh, it has to be said. Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Four to six comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter seven.


	7. Two Cities, Two Planes The Same Day

This chapter took so long. I'm so sorry. I had to step back from the fic for a few days because it felt like a _job _rather than something that was fun, which caused my muse to dwindle for a few days. Then Thanksgiving and a bunch of shoulder pain happened which made me sit down and relax and let my brain work so it came back. Which is why I'm back as well. Onto the shout outs. Of course, thanks to **nicoletisha** who I annoy on a daily basis and kind of helped me figure out the Survivor Series chapter because we have yet to see Maia/Charli in action and we will at the Survivor Series chapter. That's going to be the hell chapter, I swear it is. Anyway, more shoutouts. Thank you to **feedmesmores** (cutest name ever, I swear. its like an adorable mini kiddie Ryback saying this in my head), **AlwaysHearts**, **volleyballbabe51**, **1 Crazy Brunette Goddess**, **xSamiliciousx** and **LipglossdnLetdown** for reading this story and commenting/reviewing my last chapter. You guys are so good to me.**  
><strong>

Guess what happens here? Maia/Colby interactions. Yes. You waited for this and now, they happen. Praise the Lord, right? Anyway there's other interactions in here too, such as Maia/Nick, Maia/Bella Twins and Maia/Cena so have fun with this chapter.

You know the drill.

**DISCLAIMER: **I still only own the idea of this story and the OC. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. I have to prepare for Christmas and the Holiday tour. I mean, I pay for the network, that should be enough to not be sued, right?

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Seven: Two Cities, Two Planes the Same Day<strong>_

After Smackdown, Maia had to head to the trainer's office for an evaluation of her ankle due to everyone on the roster needing to head straight to the airport for a long flight to London. The European Tour was starting off in London in the SSE Arena. The trainer said while she shouldn't wrestle for at least two nights until she could walk on the ankle with minimal pain, she was at least cleared to appear ringside for her ongoing story line with Nick. He also told her to ice and elevate it while resting, to wrap it while walking and keep it in motion to prevent extra swelling. All Maia actually wanted to do, was chuck the crutches as far as she could.

"Cleared for the ring?" Maia knew that voice, she smiled at the sound of it before her eyes met his figure. Nick changed out of his ring gear, white v-neck t-shirt under a Kent State hoodie, jeans and the sneakers he wore earlier while out with her. His hair pushed back into a ponytail, Maia couldn't help but smile. "It would suck if you can't wrestle."

Maia shrugged. "I'm not cleared to wrestle for another two nights. But I am able to be ringside at someone's matches. I just have to figure out who's matches I want to be there for. Maybe I can go ringside to one of Kofi's matches. Or maybe I can be an honorary Uso."

"You're hilarious. You know the best matches in all of the WWE are mine. Plus at this point you're kind of obligated to show up." The two laughed as Maia stepped down gently from the examination table, gingerly placing weight on her ankle. "Be careful, you've gotta make it to the airport and to London."

"For a second, I thought you were worried about my well being. Seems you just want arm candy at your side, cheering you on for matches. I feel the hurt behind all of this." Maia walked slowly, the pain being not as bad but still there. She sat on a chair, unwrapping the ace bandage around her ankle. Kneeling down, Nick swatted her hand away and helped her with the ace bandage. "I have to take it off, Nick.

Nick just laughed "I'm helping you take it off so you can roll your ankle around for a minute. I've tweaked my ankle enough to know what to do. Move it." Maia smiled and did as she was told as Nick stood upright again for a few moments, rolling his neck. "Do you have all your stuff so you can head to the airport?" Maia nodded slowly, her eyes closed as she focused on not feeling too much pain. "I'd offer to take you but Nicole and Brianna already scooped you up for the ride. I would have fought them off, but I've done my fair share of dealing with them."

The young woman laughed and shook her head. "You're a nerd. It's okay, I like riding with them most of the time. They're nice girls when they want to be." A piece of Maia was upset she wasn't riding with Nick to the airport, after all she knew the reason why she was riding with the twins, was so she could tell them what happened on the so called 'date that wasn't a date at all'. Damn Nicole and her wanting to know everything. " Besides, I overheard Ron saying he was in your car since Claudio is riding with Jon and we all know how Jon kind of favors riding with Joe, Claudio and sometimes me. I'll stay away from the team of R-Ziggler in the car."

"Wise choice" Nick mumbled jokingly. "Come on, let's get that ace bandage back on your ankle." The man with golden hair was ever so gentle with Maia, it was new to her. If this had been Jon, he would have told her to man up before throwing her ace bandage at her with a smile and a laugh, or if it were Phil he would have pressed too hard on her ankle to send pain. John Cena is gentle with her, then again he's usually soft mannered with people smaller than him and he often joked that she was tiny like a child so he was terrified he'd break her. Joe walked on eggshells around Maia because of how small she was However here was Nick, someone who knew some of her story, and he treated her like a fine China doll but also knew she was capable of being strong enough for herself. Once the bandage was secure around her ankle, the older man grabbed hold of her hand and helped her stand. "Let's go get your stuff and get you headed off with Nikki and Brie."

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><p>"So you're telling me, it wasn't a date between you two!?" Nikki asked from behind the wheel of the rental SUV she and Brie had. In all reality, being that she was riding with Nikki and Brie, she had the choice of riding on John Cena's private plane or being like the rest of the roster and heading on a regular plane. In this case, she was riding on the private plane since Brie was taking it too. "I did not see that plot twist."<p>

Maia sighed "Its not a plot twist, I told you it wasn't a date. I mean come on Nicole, you dated him. You should have known how he thinks." Nicole shook her head no.

"The thing is, we've both grown up since then. We've changed and grown as different people and because of that, I can't even tell you if he still thinks the same way as he did when we dated. The fact that it wasn't a date the first chance he got out the gate to take you somewhere, he's changed." Nikki bit down on her lip and adjusted more in her seat, lowering the radio that was playing down to just what would sound like faint murmurs in the background.

Brie turned in her seat, looking back at Maia "So what did he say about dating?"

"That if it were a date, we'd go somewhere better. Then he made the joke about being Applebee's champion and using a discount there. We didn't touch too much on the topic." Maia's eyes watched the dark road as they passed trees and other cars whizzing past them. Some Maia could make out as rental cars of other wrestlers, others were probably fans from the show taping. "I told him a little bit about my life..." she trailed. Maia swore Nikki hit the brakes in amazement, but maybe that was just her own imagination. Brie turned to face the younger woman again with her eyes trained on Maia. "I didn't tell him everything, just the moving around part and how my family and I kind of broke apart thanks to moving. I barely even told him that part-"

"You barely told _us _that part!" Nikki exclaimed with a small laugh. "What happened when you told him?"

Maia shrugged. "I mean, he just held my hand and said it was funny watching me squirm while talking about it. He said its like I expected him to run—which isn't wrong about at all—and how he has a million questions but he won't ask them unless I'm ready to talk" she recalled. "I mean, hell, he was talking about fighting the walls I put up."

"He's definitely changed." Its all Nikki said before parking the rental car at the airport hangar and getting all the luggage out of the back of the SUV. The three woman walked to John's plane, John smiling outside of it as he saw the three women approaching.

"Maia Carson, to what do I owe the pleasure? Usually you're the first one on the plane with the rest of the roster" he joked. John Cena was always nice to Maia, in some weird kind of teasing way. He was older than her by twelve years, so he always thought of her as something like a kid, but the second he knew about her life a bit, he saw her as something more than a kid. John knew she was somewhat broken but her exterior was so tough to keep the fragile interior safe. "I'm glad you decided to come along."

"I had no choice, Cena. The Garcia-Colace twosome said I had to come on the plane. I'm bummed I'll miss out on travel packs of roasted peanuts, a baby crying and a crap in-flight movie" Maia joked back, which made John shake his head. "No, thank you for letting me come along such last minute. I guess it saves me money and flyer miles."

John's plane was fancy and cozy, something she barely got to experience regardless if she flew first class or not. There was fruit displayed on a platter, champagne—which Maia was sure was per Nicole's request—and other luxuries Maia wasn't used to. Spending time traveling in cars, Greyhound buses and coach seats on planes was the life Maia was used to. The Carson family didn't have much money so the fancy things in life, she wasn't used to having. They were taught to be thankful for the things they had—they always were thankful but sometimes it felt better to have more, to have better. Maia was the main one who thought that way, and maybe its because she was envious of those who had both parents who would get them everything they wanted and she barely even had one functional parent. Maia wasn't sure how long she had been looking out of the window since the twins fell asleep. They kept her laughing and her mind occupied while they were awake but being that it was quite a long flight, they fell asleep.

"How's the tweaked ankle?" he asked which Maia made a small face as if she were saying it could be better. John nodded knowingly. "You know..." John started as he sat across from Maia who was balled into her seat with a blanket over her small frame "...no matter how many times I fly over the water, the same states, countries, whatever...its always still the most beautiful thing to stare at."

Maia nodded in agreement. "Its like watching yourself leave the troubles you once had in a certain place behind." Her fingers fumbled over each other underneath the blanket, she knew where this was going. "John, how did you know it was okay to let a guard down?"

John just smiled. "Is this about a certain event that Nicole wouldn't shut up about since I came to pick her up? About you and a certain guy who's about to get a big push? Blond hair?"

"Does the locker room ever shut up?!" Maia mumbled, John just laughed.

"Regardless, if it is, you just know when you should. I still have a lot of guards up, Nicole is aware of that and that's what makes us work. She knows and she won't push for me to bring them down anymore because for a relationship to grow, it has to be on its own." John Cena was never the same man since his divorce from his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Huberdeau. John and Liz had been together on and off for years and while most don't know the story, the fact that he got divorced and had his heart broken was enough to watch the walls build in front of him at light speed. Maia understood John in that sense, having your heart broken will only make you give up on all things known as love. The fact that he was trying again with Nikki was something Maia didn't expect. "You and Nick have time, you barely had a chance to know each other. In reality, if it weren't for this story line, in the entire two years you've been in this company, would you have given him the chance to know you?"

Maia shook her head no. "In two years I haven't exactly given you much of a chance either." John smiled and lowered his head. Maia smiled at the sight of John's dimples; secretly that was her favorite thing about him because they were so deep and beautiful. "I'm terrified."

"You're supposed to be. That's what you're supposed to feel so you know if its worth it. Fear is a defense, a sensory feeling to alert yourself of caution. If Nick is the one to make the fear go away, you've found the one thing that controls that fear, it makes it worth it. Without that fear, he wouldn't help you see if he's the one."

The younger woman just looked over at the sky that was changing colors into a beautiful purple and amber sky. "How did you get so smart?" Then reality hit her. "Wait a minute, you weren't on the card today. Why were you here? Shouldn't you have already been in London?"

John smiled and looked over at Nikki. "I knew she was going to Smackdown, don't know why when she wasn't on the card but you can't fight her on these things. So, I decided to come and pick her up here." His eyes seemed to have a small gleam in them as he looked over at Nikki and then back over at Maia. "Because when you love someone, you do things like that because you want to. I'm still learning the whole concept of letting Nicole in, but I know what I'd do for her that won't cause me to die of a heart attack from fear."

"Okay John, stop showing off that you're smart." Maia joked, making both her and John laugh a little too loudly.

* * *

><p>Jet-lag was the worst thing ever. Maia and Brie drove to the hotel like zombies as Nikki and John decided to go somewhere early that morning. As soon as they checked in, Maia collapsed on the hotel bed and slept for hours. By the time she woke up, it was almost noon which meant she had about three hours to herself before heading to the arena to work out any matches she had and see if she was needed ringside to any of Nick's matches. That is of course, if the trainer decided to have a heart and let her wrestle tonight since her ankle was still jacked a little. After a quick shower and changing into a black and white flannel print shirt, distressed gray jeans, a gray tank top and black and white Nike sneakers, she was out of the door and heading down to the information desk of the hotel.<p>

"Hi, do you happen to have directions to the London Zoo? I'd like to visit there before I can't" Maia asked with a laugh. The woman at the desk smiled and nodded, looking for the directions before someone else approached. Maia's eyes shifted over to the figure next to her, she hadn't seen him since that Monday so seeing him right now made her mouth go dry. He wore a simple graphic t-shirt, her guess was it was a band shirt, a black hoodie and blue jeans. His hair was pushed back into a pony tail and square framed glasses sat on his nose.

"No need ma'am, I was heading that way and I can take her. She's my co-worker anyway." His eyes were that color, the softer color she knew whenever she looked at him outside of he walls of the arena. "What do you say, Maia?"

Maia smiled softly and looked at the woman behind the desk. "Print a copy of directions please, in case my friend here sucks with directions." Her eyes met the ones behind frames. "No offense, Colby."

Colby just laughed and nodded along with Maia's words. "None taken. At times I do suck at directions." The woman handed them directions to the zoo, Maia took them before looking back at Colby once more. "So, I take it you're okay with leaving with me to go to the zoo?"

"As long as you don't throw me in the lion pit, sure." The two laughed and Maia felt that trembling in her hands. Why was she so nervous around Colby? Could it be because he was a wild card? The two climbed into the car with this silence hovering over them. "We have to be back before two" she started "I have to get my stuff before I go to the arena."

Colby nodded with a smile. "You got it. I have to head back too, I don't have my stuff either. I just wanted out of the stuffy room." The car ride was quite silent, the two barely spoke. The sounds of the radio could be heard more than their conversations. The talks were short, asking about how had they been and if the flight over to London was fine, what they were excited about with the tour and what exactly they wanted to see that they didn't see the first time overseas. Once the two made it to the zoo, there was a small chill in the air.

"Where do you want to start?" Maia asked, her hands rubbing at her arms as the small chill in the London air seemed to have made her cold. Colby's eyes of brown caught her actions and started to unzip his hoodie. "No. I'm fine, just a small chill."

Colby shook his head and shrugged off his hoodie. "You can't go on getting sick because of a small chill. Here, I'll be fine." Maia didn't have much time to protest before his hoodie landed on her shoulders. The smell of his scent wafted through the air surrounding her, it crept through her nostrils and into her memory bank. She couldn't pinpoint the cologne scent or maybe the scent of his body wash that lingered onto the fabric of his clothing. The two walked into the zoo, watching the people walking around them before Colby gently grabbed at Maia's wrist. "Tigers."

"Huh?" Maia asked a bit taken aback. "Tigers?"

"You asked where I wanted to start. Let's start with some tigers" Colby spoke simply. Maia's eyes met his for what felt like the millionth time since she had been in his presence. "What?"

Maia smirked. "You struck me more of a lion kind of guy."

Colby laughed and shook his head. "Lions are kings of the jungle, but tigers are more majestic to me in some weird way. They're predators, they're strong and I don't know...they seem cooler."

"I would actually say you're probably a tiger" Maia added as the two walked in the direction of the tigers. Thankfully, this zoo didn't smell like other zoos she had been to in her entire lifetime. In all honesty, she could probably still smell the Bronx Zoo every time she stepped foot into New York City out of habit, remembering that smell all in itself. "They're considered regal in other countries, like cats were in ancient Egypt." Maia's eyes shifted down to the ground, a sharp pain going through her ankle but she ignored it this time around. "Just saying."

Colby nodded before pulling Maia gently over to the tigers. The two stood where they were, eyes watching the animals who were perched on grassy knolls and rocks. "You strike me more of a tiger" Colby spoke softly. Maia's eyes met his and he smiled. "I mean, they're majestic just as a lion is but a tiger is more ferocious and their roars are heard and never mistaken, especially a female tiger." Maia's eyes looked at the tigers, her eyes landing on a beautiful Bengal white tiger. "You've seen the Katy Perry video, right?" he asked. "Remember when she roared and it established her dominance? That's you."

"Katy or the tiger?" Maia asked with a smile.

"Okay so that was a horrible example..." he laughed before scratching the back of his neck and sighing. "What I'm saying is, the roar showed dominance. You haven't found yours yet but the second you do, you'll be someone no one wants to cross. Just like a tiger." His voice was calming, the words he said were full of emotion and she couldn't help but not tear away from him.

Maia sighed "So do you still want to be a tiger?" she asked in a small voice, shifting a bit as her ankle began to hurt a bit. She really should have wrapped it better before coming out. "I still think you'd be a pretty good one. After all, its the same in the male population of tigers too. You're just finding your roar."

Colby looked down at Maia, examining her as she shifted. He eyed the shade of her hair color, the small height she was that he never actually paid attention to before this moment right here. She damn near disappeared in his hoodie, arms swimming in the sleeves that fit him perfectly fine. There was a difference in her facial features when she wasn't wearing make up, her facial features a bit younger. He memorized the way her eyes light up when her eyes connected with someone else's, as if she were signaling you had her undivided attention. Colby wasn't sure how long he had been looking at her before he spoke. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I uh...I tweaked my ankle yesterday. I was supposed to wrap it in an ace bandage before leaving out but I guess I forgot. I'm fine, just can't put too much pressure on it yet." Maia responded. "According to the schedule, if I'm cleared, I'll be a match with April against Saraya and Nicole. I want to be cleared-"

Colby shook his head "Don't force it. Come on, we'll look around a bit more and then we'll head back to the hotel." His eyes looked over Maia's face who was feeling the pain a little more before holding onto her arms and directing her toward some benches to sit. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Colby disappeared off to the right of Maia who sat down on the bench and gingerly moved her ankle like she had been instructed to do. It felt like forever when it was only one minute since Colby had walked off before coming back tossing something in his hand. In his hand was an ace bandage and in the other he held a lollipop in his hand. Maia couldn't help but laugh.

"Is the lollipop for you?" she joked as he rested on his knees to help remove her Nike sneaker from her foot. "Colby, you don't-"

The man of two hair colors raised his hand in protest, halting her speech. "I got it. I've wrapped ankles before" he joked with a laugh. There was that softness, that tenderness she got with Nick again as Colby wrapped her ankle, his eyes shifting up to meet hers every now and then. "Is it too tight?" Colby asked. Maia just shook her head no. "Good. I put it tight enough to support the ankle and keep the swelling from being a bitch against your sneakers but loose enough for you to move your ankle."

"Thank you" Maia spoke with a smile. After putting her sock back over her foot and placing her foot back into her sneaker, Colby held out the lollipop to Maia. "What is this for?"

"You were a good patient, you didn't complain. It deserves some kind of merit or reward, so I figured you'd want sugar." The two laughed as Maia slowly stood. No pain. "Come on, let's go see some more animals before we have to head to the hotel."

Colby and Maia spent the rest of the time wandering around the zoo, looking at monkeys, gorillas, birds and even stopping where the penguins were. Maia stopped to make the joke about one of the penguins having blonde hair and named it Colby, since he had the blonde section of his hair. Colby laughed sarcastically, then laughed for real at the sound of Maia's laugh. They passed the bugs and the snakes—Maia hates snakes and they make her skin crawl. The two stopped to see the bears and the giraffe's but that made Maia's neck hurt looking up at them. Once or twice in the silence between the two of them, Maia would hum _'Roar'_ by Katy Perry and they would laugh. The two stopped at the gift shop since they had some time to spare before heading back to the hotel.

"I'm going to get Nikki a stuffed penguin. I don't even know if she likes them but stuffed penguins are the cutest little things. And Brie a panda" it seemed like Maia was just listing off things she was getting people like word vomit. At this point she had eased up with Colby, found his presence welcoming and warming. She wasn't as terrified as when she's around his counterpart, Seth Rollins. "There's nothing here for me to get Jon."

"Which one? Fatu, Cena or Good?" Colby joked. That was the downfall of a million John's or Jon's in the company. You had to be specific on which one you meant, which often meant the other two who weren't John Cena were called by their ring names.

Maia laughed. "Good. There's nothing here that resembles a greaseball..." Maia's eyes landed on turtle which she picked up with a smile. "I can give this to Nick." Maia bit her lip and sighed a bit as she continued on, her eyes looking up at Colby's which had darkened a little. Why did they darken? Was it because of the mention of Nick? "You okay?" Maia asked.

Colby's head moved in her direction, a smile sliding across his face. The smile seemed a bit forced in Maia's mind. "I'm fine. Get Jon a llama, I feel like he hates those things." Maia bit down on her bottom lip before her eyes saw one more thing. She grabbed the last item she wanted to buy and proceeded to check out. Standing with a bag in her hand, Maia shifted her weight to her other leg—the one with the good ankle—as she waited for Colby who was paying for something himself. "Sorry, saw something last minute to get. Did you get everything you wanted to get for everyone?"

Maia nodded "Yep! I got John Cena a gorilla. I figured I should thank him for flying me here with Nikki and Brie." Colby laughed as the two drove back to the hotel, Maia's phone ringing in her pocket. Colby lowered the radio as she picked up the phone. There was an unreadable expression on her face which quickly turned to one that mirrored slight annoyance before shaking her head. "Got it. Thank you, sir. No, its not a problem. I should be there tonight. Do you know if I'm cleared for action?" Another pause before Maia nodded her head. "Understandable. I'll be on it. Thank you." Maia hung up the phone just as the two pulled into the hotel parking lot. "So much for sleep and rushing."

"Not cleared?" Colby asked before Maia shook her head.

"I'm moved to the second leg of the tour. I have to fly to Dublin." There was the annoyance in her voice again. "Being that my program is with Nick, I have to be over there with him and they made that change last minute. I was supposed to be on this leg. At least I know now." Colby chuckled at Maia's slight annoyance.

"So you were originally supposed to be here?" Colby asked as if he were double checking.

The former Divas champion nodded. "My feud is with Paige, being that she's here, that's where I was supposed to be and we were going to be in a match together. We had the Divas tag match and then somewhere in the match I chase her toward the back and then Nikki and AJ fight, Brie inadvertently distracts Nikki, AJ gets the win. That was the plan according to the schedule I had for weeks." Maia sighed as she opened the car door, bag of gifts in hand. "I guess because of Charli and Dolph's new alliance thing, I'm over on the other end. At least I have Jon over there with me." she addedas the two walked into the hotel together, seeing a few of the other people on the roster preparing to leave for the arena. "Thanks for coming with me to the zoo."

Colby shook his head "No, thank _you _for deciding to come out with me. You could have told me to fuck off and did your own thing. I had fun today."

"We should do this again. Maybe when we're both on Raw in Liverpool, we can find something to do..." Maia started before her mouth gaped open. Was she just somewhat pushing a friendship onto Colby, someone she barely knows? "I mean, if you want to! We don't have to, it was just a suggestion since you said you had fun and—you know what, I'm just going to shut up."

Colby laughed again before stepping onto the elevator and pressing the number six. Maia pressed eight. They weren't on the same floor. "Relax, Maia. Its okay. I'd love to hang out with you again. Especially since I know you won't have to fly off on me just yet until the end of the show."

The younger woman smiled and chuckled at the man with eyes of brown's response. The elevator was approaching her floor when she gasped a little. "I almost forgot!" Maia dug into the bag of stuffed animals before pulling out a plush tiger. "I don't know if you're the stuffed animal kind of guy but consider it something to remember me by. Or something to remind you you're a tiger. Whichever you think of first whenever you look at it."

"Thank you, Maia. I promise you, he'll be in good hands when you see it again in Liverpool. He'll be clean and still in one piece" Colby said with a small laugh lacing his speech as he held the small plush tiger in his hands. The elevator stopped at Colby's floor which he slowly walked off the elevator. "Have a safe flight, Maia. Have fun in Ireland. And keep that ankle wrapped."

Maia smiled and laughed. "Yes sir!" she joked before the elevator doors closed. Colby Lopez isn't so bad when he's Colby. All Maia could do was hope when they saw each other again in Liverpool, he'd still be as nice.

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><p>No music? Yep. That happened.<p>

Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Five to seven comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter eight.


	8. The Tweet Seen Around the World

No, the last chapter didn't reach five to seven comments, its actually one short. But its the holidays, I'm in a giving mood. Also I'm behind. Like 20 days or so behind on this fic and I wanna catch up before I'm like three pay-per-views behind. No one wants that with this, especially me. To the shout outs for those who reviewed/commented on the last chapter which include **xSamiliciousx**, **Loasaur**, **Peachilee** and **Seth rollins babe**, thank you. You guys are awesome and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. I'm having a blast writing it.

This chapter has Maia/Colby implied, but there's Maia/Bellas, Maia/Nick and Maia/Jon. Next chapter should focus on Raw in London so we'll get some Maia/Colby out of that as well. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

You know the drill.

**DISCLAIMER: **I still only own the idea of this story and the OC. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. Its the Christmas season, don't be grinches about this.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Eight: The Tweet Seen Around the World<strong>_

The flight over to to Dublin from London was about three hours, which once again threw off Maia's sleep schedule. At this point, with this tour, the young woman started making it a matter of a fact to not expect much sleep with the constant moving and the horrible pattern of sleep she already had wasn't making it any better. Maia dozed off on the plane for a while, her mind wandering off to her conversation with the Bella Twins before she left the hotel in London.

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><p>"Its a stuffed penguin! This is the cutest little shit I've ever gotten! Maia! This is so cute, John is going to hate it because I'll probably hug this more than I hug him now. Thank you." Nikki held the stuffed toy close to her, nuzzling her face against the soft plush fur. "Look, Brie."<p>

Brie was too engulfed in her own little present. "I got a panda, look at it. This is so cute. I have to make sure I keep this in a place where Josie can't reach it." Maia couldn't help but smile at the two women who loved their gifts, regardless on how cheesy they were. Nikki was the main one Maia was terrified of making sure she'd love her gift, after all its no hidden secret that she loved the lavish things in life. However based on this action alone, Maia could see how multi-faceted Nicole Garcia-Colace really was. She loved the gift as much as Brie did, maybe even a little more.

"Think John will like the little bullshit gorilla when I give it to him?" Maia asked with a small smile.

Nikki shrugged "He should. Why don't you give it to him tonight?"

This time Maia sighed and looked down at her feet. "Because I have a plane to catch tonight." There was nothing more terrifying than the same set of identical dark eyes staring deep into her soul, at least that's what Maia thought. She had wrestled in crap rings that looked like they would give out at any moment, she's jumped off ladders as a kid, hell she's friends with Jonathan Good—which was a terrifying thing all on its own, but this was terror at its finest. "I got a call while I was out and I've been moved last minute to the other half of the tour with the rest of the roster. It sucks because I was so ready to do these matches with you guys and Saraya and April, but they moved me over with Nick."

"Keeping you close to lover boy, huh?" Nikki asked, her grip still tight around her little stuffed penguin. "Have you spoken to him?"

Maia shook her head. "Nope. I haven't told anyone. After I got to my room, I made the arrangements for my hotel room and then came here. Besides you guys, the only other person who knows I'm going to the other side of the tour is Colby." The second the words left her mouth, Brie squinted.

"Colby? As in Colby Lopez? Two toned, aerodynamic, high flying, easy on the eyes, talented, Colby Lopez that the world knows as the Corporate Sellout Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins?" How Brie managed to say that all in one breath stunned even her own sister. "How does he know you're on the other end of the tour?"

Maia scrunched up her nose. "Because he and I went to the zoo together?" The same identical eyes widened in shock. "I was originally going by myself, he showed up when I was asking the concierge for directions to the place. He said he was going there himself and so we went together."

Nikki's eyes shifted a bit, as if she were looking in the air for some kind of invisible wording or sign that only she could see. "Did you two go on some kind of unofficial date?"

"Does everything have to be a date with you?" Maia sighed, slouching a bit after the words left her mouth. "No, it wasn't. We barely know each other. We went to the zoo together as friends."

"Did he make any moves on you?" This time the words came from Brie.

Maia paused for a moment. "No. Wait. Define _'moves'_ because you guys have warped senses of things and I could think its not and it is."

Nikki shrugged "Was there any hand holding?"

"No." Maia answered. "He grabbed my wrist to lead me over toward the tigers, but that was because Colby was leading the way."

"Was there any kind of closeness?" Brie asked.

"He wrapped my bum ankle when it started bothering me? Does that count?" Maia asked. Both twins shook their head no. "Then no, no closeness."

Nikki smirked. "Did he offer a jacket?"

"He didn't wear one he wore a hoodie—shit." Maia spoke quickly before looking down at her frame. She still had it on. Neither one of them noticed Maia still wore his black hoodie. "This hoodie."

Brie's eyes widened. "You stole his hoodie?!"

"No! I shivered a bit and he took it off of him and put it on me so I didn't get a cold. I had it on the entire time I don't...we didn't realize I still have it." Maia covered her mouth in terror. The smell hit her nose all over again, the smell of Colby that she couldn't forget now if she tried. How the hell did they manage to forget she had his hoodie still? "Shit. I'm stupid. I gave him his stupid tiger, but not his hoodie."

Brie shook her head. "A tiger?! What the hell? I'm so confused. My head hurts."

"Jury's still out if it was a date—hell stuffed animals and hoodies are involved but Colby is a mystery and I have no idea how his mind works, but you should definitely give him his hoodie." Nikki stopped rubbing her stuffed penguin toy and huffed. "And do it quickly before you miss your plane."

Needless to say, knocking on three other doors before finding Colby's room was awkward. It was extra awkward when Maia stood there, rocking on her heels and holding his hoodie in his hands, the same one he forgot she was wearing. Awkward hit the all time high when after Maia handed Colby the hoodie and they fell into some kind of a silence. She couldn't get to the plane faster.

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><p>There was an uncomfortable feeling in her system when Maia got to Dublin; the girls on the tour kind of stuck to themselves, regardless of Maia being a buffer for all of them. Days when some of the women didn't get along, they at least got along with Maia, which in turn made the locker room a bit more tolerable when people got along a bit. On this end of the tour, the women were Trinity, Natalie, Layla, Danielle and Arianne. At least she got along with those women.<p>

Maia sluggishly checked into her hotel room, leaving her door completely open without much care, opened her carry on bag to retrieve her phone. The phone rang a few times, signaling for a FaceTime call. As the camera connected, she smiled.

"I made it to Dublin just fine. Tired, but fine."

"You also made it hoodie free." Damn that Nicole Garcia-Colace. As quickly as she appeared on the screen, there was a small, playful shuffle and her twin appeared on the screen.

Brie smiled and turned in her spot. They were already at the arena, hanging around in catering before the show was to start in another two hours on their end. "I'm glad you're okay. It sucks you won't be with us on this tour though!"

Maia smiled. When she started, the people she was most weary of were the Bella Twins. Dirt sheets could ruin a person and it seemed their reputations had superseded them. They were rumored to be selfish, nasty, petty, conniving, everything negative one could think of. Maia kept her distance, kept away from them because she was sure they'd hate her. Hate the woman who had roots in indies and a following over in FCW before it was over. Then her injury happened, an injury that kept her sidelined and she hated every second of it. By the time she came back, new faces had come in. Upon her return, the first people to greet her back were the twins, which took her back a little since she had barely spoken to them. After teaming with them—and eventually having a short feud with them as well—Maia had come to terms with them being amazing people. Then the friendship flourished into what they had now.

"The crew was asking about you. By crew, I mean April and Saraya. They went to the bathroom, but we'll keep you on the phone until they come." Brie's words were soft and so was her smile, which made Maia smile in return. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Brie, could you sound any more like a mother?" Nikki asked from Brie's side, which made Brie roll her eyes.

Again, Maia laughed and sat on her hotel room bed. "I got a little shut eye on the plane. I can get more of it as soon as I hang up from you guys since our shows don't start until tomorrow." Her eyes shifted down to her shoe, playing with the string a bit. "That's the only perk about the tour move. More sleep."

At this point Saraya and April had arrived, smiling and waving into the face time camera saying they'll miss her and thanks for the gifts she had bought them of stuffed sharks and a stuffed hippo. The girls continued to talk for a while before a crew member backstage gave them a thirty minute heads up about their match. April snatched the phone from Brie's hand, allowing Maia and April to talk about how much they actually missed hanging out on their own. April was one of Maia's oldest friends, although the term friend was loose with them for a while. Some of Maia's favorite matches were against April and they had a crazy kind of chemistry in the ring.

Nikki approached behind April, maybe some kind of intent to take the phone away from April and get in her goodbyes until they all saw each other again on Monday. Her mouth opened, lips painted in red with her snapback hat backwards but something caught her attention. A figure behind Maia. "Did you leave your door open, Maia?"

"Yeah, why?" Maia asked, raising an eyebrow. She should have paid more attention to Nikki's and April's faces, which went from confusion to pure amusement. "What?"

"Nice chatting with you ladies..." a voice called from behind Maia, which made her turn in her spot. He stood there with a smile on his face, Guns-N-Roses shirt covering his torso and black jeans. "but apparently, someone didn't tell me they'd be here and I'd like to catch up with them. Or at least make sure they're not stalking me."

April smiled "Hi Nick. Nice to see you. We've got a match to prepare for in like, fifteen minutes. Good seeing you-"

"We'll call you later Maia! Have fun in Dublin!" Nikki yelled and interrupted. Before the call ended all that could be faintly heard was Nikki telling Brie and Saraya _'ol' loverboy showed up, its about to get good over there'._

Maia smiled and looked over at Nick, who at this point had taken one step inside her room. "I don't remember inviting you in."

"I play by my own rules. You know, writing my own tickets and stuff, come on now Princess, you should know this by now." There was that trademark smile of his. Raising his eyebrow, his eyes of blue met with Maia's eyes.

Maia smiled and chuckled "Well Mr. Rule Breaker, come in."

"You didn't tell me you were on this end of the tour." His hands were in his pockets by this time. His steps were slow and soft against the plush carpeted floor of the hotel, as if he were afraid to step any harder or faster against the floor.

Maia just shrugged with a small yawn. "I was told last minute that I was going to be on this end of the tour. Something about being an honorary Uso. I was told they wanted me and Naomi to do the Samoan opening with them." The fact that Maia could say this with a straight face was the icing on the cake. Nick raised an eyebrow, calling her bullshit. "Okay, so maybe not for the Usos. It was for Fandango, I'm his new part-"

"You're a horrible bullshitter." Nick laughed a hearty laugh before watching Maia yawn again. "Tired?"

"Exhausted. Oh!" she spoke out loud before shuffling to her bags. "So, before I was called and told to come on this leg of the tour, I was over in London and I went to the zoo." Maia bit down on her lip, cautiously leaving out the tidbit of going with Colby. "Anyway, I stopped by the gift shop and yeah, I know, its probably cheesy as fuck but..." Maia continued, handing Nick the stuffed turtle she bought him. "I thought I'd get you a turtle because of the saying and the fable. You know about the tortoise?" Maia continued. Nick raised an eyebrow, a smirk spreading on his face. "Okay, so its not a damn tortoise but you fucking get it. The tortoise won the race against the hair because he was simply smarter and better. Slow and steady wins the race. You're winning, Nick."

Nick smiled and looked down at the stuffed turtle in his hand. "Want to just, hang out here? You can shower and get that flight you had off of you, I'll order us some food and we can stay in until you're ready to sleep. What do you say?" Maia just shook her head in compliance, grabbing her bag with a yawn and heading to the bathroom. Nick's eyes of blue remained on the turtle in his hands, her voice ringing in his ears. "Hey Maia?"

Maia turned around and smiled. "Yeah, Nick?"

"Thanks. I really like the gift."

The former Divas champion just smiled and headed into the bathroom while Nick ordered food for them. He wasn't entirely too sure what to order her, so he just got the same thing she had when Nick and Maia had went to the diner just a few days before. The blond haired man kicked off his sneakers and then gently and neatly moved them to a corner of the room where no one would trip over them—mainly Maia and her bum ankle, as he waited for room service to come with the food. Nick wasn't sure what they were going to watch together, after all he didn't know what would be on in another country. Flipping through the channels, the shower turned off the same time that the food came. Nick politely let the man with room service into Maia's room with food. Right after he left, Maia emerged in an oversized shirt she stole from Brie—which mean she probably stole it from Bryan in retrospect—and shorts.

"Food?" Maia asked, drying her hair with a smile as Nick took in the sight of the smaller diva in front of him. Nick nodded with a smile. "Awesome. Find a movie?"

Nick chuckled. "You're not even going to ask what I got you?"

With a shrug, Maia just simply shook her head no. "I trust you." Sometimes the "T" word was like saying the "L" word, she didn't exactly know how it works to a full extent but she knew what it was. Yes, she _trusted _Nick with knowing what to get her to eat, trusted him with wrapping her ankle and catching her if she were to be clumsy and fall. She trusted him with those things, but in all honesty, the same way she thought love was going to be a fucked thing in her life, she thought the same thing about trust. Maia trusted Nick with _some _things, but not _every _thing. "Find a good movie or something to watch?"

"I thought I'd wait for you for that. We might not like the same things." Nick said the words simply, taking one of the fries off Maia's plate and popping it into his mouth. Maia just laughed and shook her head.

It started with surfing through music channels until movies came on. It was no where near Christmas for them, but Home Alone was coming on, so they decided to just watch that instead and comment on every single thing wrong with the movie that they never noticed until they were adults. A jet-lagged Maia fell asleep half way through the movie with her head on Nick's shoulder. Nick thought of it as prime time to snap a picture and put it on Twitter for the world to see.

_ HEELZiggler: Looks like I've got a stalker. She's pretty cool though so I might keep her. RealCharliWWE_

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><p>Maia woke up the next morning, tucked perfectly into her bed, television off and lights dimmed. How the hell did that happen? Her mind thought back to Nick, she had fallen asleep on him like the worst person in the world. The young woman slowly began to rise from bed, running her fingers through wavy locks of hair and looking around the room for her phone. She should definitely call the twins or Jon or someone. Let them know she's okay. Instead, her fingers led her to Twitter with a million notifications. Of course one stood out the most, the picture of her asleep on Nick's shoulder on his Twitter and Instagram. Maia knew she was never going to hear the end of it from the girls. This was going to be hell. Instead, Maia just sent out a tweet from her phone.<p>

_ RealCharliWWE: whoever looks at you weird when you sing "Aaron's Party" cannot be trusted. If they sing along, they're a keeper. Right HEELZiggler?_

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><p><em>Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler with Charli accompanying him ringside in her new "Its Too Bad, I'm Too Good" shirt defeated Cesaro to retain the Intercontinental Title. Charli noticed some signs in the crowd for Dolph, smiling and pointing at them as she greeted the fans. The duo did their seemingly normal schtick of an entrance into the ring, Dolph perched on the middle rope and Charli keeping eye contact with him in which he'd wink at her before taking off his belt and displaying it to the crowd. <em>

_Charli remained ringside and kept the moral going, often starting the "Let's Go Ziggler" chants with the fans in Ireland. Cesaro teased at doing the Cesaro Swing, which caused the crowd to give a huge pop, even told Charli to keep count. Charli ducked her head between her hands and sighed. Cesaro looked at the crowd before laughing in their faces and not doing the swing like they wanted. The match carried on, Cesaro hitting Ziggler with a serious uppercut and going for the pin before Charli climbed onto the ring apron, bad ankle and all. The ref became distracted and told her to get off the apron. As Charli did so, Dolph hit Cesaro with a super kick and finished with Ziggler hitting a Zig Zag to retain the title._

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><p>"Open the door, sweet cheeks!"<p>

"Go away, greaseball."

"Maia Carson, open this door before everyone sees your baby pictures."

"The internet has already gotten hold of those!"

"Not the ones with you in braces. Or the lovely bath tub pictures your uncle and brother gave me."

"...you wouldn't."

"Try me, Maia."

Maia opened the door with a huff. "I hate you so much, Jonathan Good."

Jon just smirked, bags in hand and chewing gum. "You love me." The older man pushed past her, into her room with a chuckle. The tour had moved to their next location which was Belfast, Germany. The ride over to Belfast wasn't torture as much as Maia thought it would be. She rode in with the women of the tour, namely Danielle and Layla who asked her a million questions since they never really got to work with her or got to even be around her much. Of course, those questions also led to Nick and the picture he posted on Twitter, which made her shake her head and blush a bit. Although she explained to the women that nothing happened and that Nick and herself were jusy friends, they didn't believe her. Once she checked in, she called April and Nicole who demanded they know everything, especially since the tweets her and Nick had sent out the the world that night with pictures attached. After a shower and the phone call, it led her to this moment, getting up from bed where she was currently reading a book on her Nook app when Jon threatened to post baby pictures of her that should never see the light of day. "I thought they had you on the other leg of the tour?"

"I was but then I got the last minute call to switch over to this tour. Aren't you glad? You get me all the time now!" Maia joked, tugging on his arm with a laugh. "Its okay you don't have to say it out loud that you love me-"

"I'm not going to say it at all, Maia." Of course Jon loved her, he loved her like a brother loved a sister. Which in the same sense, meant he hated her guts on any given day. "Have fun for a few hours in London?"

Maia nodded. "I even thought of you and got you something." Jon's eyebrows furrowed until she pulled out a stuffed llama. "It was the hair, when the water dries out of it and goes everywhere, it looks like the hair on the llama."

"Someone is observant." Jon scrunched his nose. "Its uh...its cute. Thanks. I'm not so sure if I like the llama comparison though."

"Colby said you'd hate it." Again, the second the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Jon looked over at her with eyes full of wonder.

Jon sat up straighter on Maia's bed. "What do you mean, Colby said I would hate it? How did he even know about it?"

Maia chewed on her bottom lip, which became a habit when she became terrified or needed to lie. Jon knew her too well to see through her lies. "I was going to the zoo in London because I never went there. So he was there when I asked for directions and we just went together."

"So, was it like a date?" Jon asked. Maia shook her head no rapidly. "Look, I've known Colby for a while, okay? Yes, he's a decent guy but he's also a wild card, Maia. You know how the world sees me as someone who's unstable, who's...hell, the world thinks I am Dean Ambrose twenty-four, seven. Colby? He bleeds, Maia. That's dangerous. There's no telling what he could be thinking at any time."

"But it wasn't like I went up and fucked the guy, Jonathan!" Maia exclaimed. "It was just two friends—at that the term _'friend'_ is being used very loosely in that situation, hanging out at the zoo. I told you, I'm too fucked for relationships and the farther I keep people away, they won't want to be let in."

Jon sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and looked over at Maia who just had her hands folded over her chest. Maia was stubborn as shit, he knew this but he could see that she was also going to set herself up for some kind of trouble. "Alright. Just be careful with him, okay?"

Maia nodded once and stepped forward toward Jon, signaling to hug it out. Jon rolled his eyes and just hugged the smaller and younger woman. "I'm going to be fine."

"Shut up and just take the hug."

"I definitely did not miss you."

Jon released the hug and sighed. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Sleeping." Maia retored.

Jon scrunched his face and scoffed. "You're fucking boring." After the words left his mouth, he laughed at the next string of words to leave his lips. "I'm surprised Nicky boy isn't here."

Maia groaned. "Stop with the idiot nicknames. Why would you think that anyway?"

Jon shrugged a bit. "I don't know, he's on this end of the tour and so are you. You two are in a story line...program, thing, shit, whatever. You know what I mean..." he started with a small trail off on his words, moving his hands in the animated ways he usually does. "Plus that picture he posted last night-"

"You don't even use Twitter how did you see it?!" Maia asked loudly before it hit her. "Joe. Did Joe send it to you?" There was a small smug look on Jon's face. "I'll kill him. But no, he's not here. He's probably in his room, sleeping like I should be."

"Again, you're fucking boring." Jon sighed and shook his head.

Maia just shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment. Its what I was trying to do before you ever so lovingly came to my room and asking to let you in. Loose term on asking, more like _extortion._"

"It worked, didn't it? Jon asked.

Maia shook her head. "Wait, how the hell did you find out where my room was? Are you fucking stalking me?"

This time Jon laughed a hearty laugh that made Maia just cross her arms. "You're hilarious. You wish I was stalking you. Doublemint twin dating Super Cena told Cena where you were. Cena saw me in the lobby and told me you were here. I didn't know and he didn't know what room you were staying in when I asked him where were you. I needed to know these things so I could beat your ass. You know him, a flash of that smile and he gets what he wants. He found out where you were and then told me." The words sounded so far fetched but at the same time, it was believable. Maia had witnessed the power of Cena before, its how they managed to get a McDonalds to stay open when she hurt herself and all she wanted was some _"god damn salty fries"_ as she put it. "Wanna sight see tomorrow before the show?" Jon asked. Maia just raised an eyebrow. "What?"

This time, the younger woman scoffed. "You actually want to be seen in public with me?"

Jon stopped and tapped against his chin. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe not."

Maia mocked a gasp, followed by a huff and pointed straight at the door. "You llama, get out of my room." Jon laughed and grabbed his bag, placing a soft kiss to the top of Maia's head. "Don't try to butter me up now. I'll see you in the morning, we'll go sight seeing and I'm telling everyone you know me."

"The horror of it all, runt." Jon called over his shoulder, giving Maia the finger and shaking his head before she closed the door. Still, he thought about what he had told her about Colby. It was true, he bleeds through and the lines get lost on who Colby is and who Seth is. Jon didn't want Maia at the wrong end of that, but Maia always finds herself in some kind of trouble. At least that's what she says. He's yet to have seen this so called "trouble" but if she gets any closer to Colby with his horrible habit of letting two worlds collide into one person, she might.

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><p>Songs I listened to while writing this (although the ending I didn't listen to anything WHOOPS) were:<p>

**Breathe** – Pink Floyd  
><strong>Cold Coffee<strong> – Ed Sheeran

Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Four to six comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter nine.


	9. Wild Card

Hi, I suck. No, actually I had a really hard time trying to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go. Before I knew it, TLC was happening, video editing/making had come back into my life, friends were over (although I'm sure they really didn't give a damn about me writing fic while they were here) and I was just generally stuck. Now being that I am TWO pay-per-views behind (ouch) I'm going to be skipping the rest of the European Tour and skipping ahead to the next Raw after the European Tour. Then I'll jump right to the Raw before Survivor Series and the Smackdown before Survivor Series in one chapter before going right into Survivor Series.

There's a few interactions but the biggest one in this chapter? You guessed it, Maia/Colby. Plus you'll see why I named this chapter what it is.

You know the drill.

**DISCLAIMER: **I still only own the idea of this story and the OC. Vince, Stephanie, Paul, please don't call your lawyers to sue me. Have hearts my friends.

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><p><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Beyond flashing lights, cameras, wrestling rings and fans, some battles are so good the creative department couldn't write them. Sometimes off screen actions tumble onto the main stage and other times on screen personas are hard to come out of and effect off screen happenings. Tension hot as hell fire, she's the golden girl torn between the the good guy with the golden locks with the intention to be the best and have the world behind him as he shows how damn good he is that she _should_ stick to and the guy with the golden briefcase who reminds the world he didn't sell out but simply _bought in _that most are trying to keep her from.

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><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Nine: Wild Card<strong>_

Maybe this European Tour was straight up bad luck for Maia. The first night of the European Tour she wasn't cleared to compete, nor was she ready by the second night. By the eighth she was cleared to fight at the next show over in Leeds, England on the ninth of November. Her match was right before Nick's, which they cut a cute little promo of a bit of friendship and a bit of flirtation before his match started, prompting her to stay ringside for his match.

Then hell broke loose for Maia the second she got into the hotel in Liverpool. On the ride back, something felt off with Maia. Her head began to hurt a bit, her stomach twisting, turning and sharp pains every few seconds. Everything felt hot, Maia swore she felt the room spinning slightly. With a slight stumble and eyes of blue watching her, she tumbled into her hotel room and sat down on the bed. Her eyes met the ones of blue that followed her that stood at the frame of her room door. "Stay back, I'm not feeling to hot."

"Find that hard to believe..." Blue eyes and blond tresses slowly entered her room, eyes scanning her body frame. "Are you okay?"

Maia shook her head no. "I feel sick. Something doesn't feel right." Her hair covered her paling face as she looked down at the ground. "I didn't feel like this until after the match. I...I ate something light. Had a bottle of water. On the way back, in the car with Trin and Nattie, I started to feel sick."

This time, Nick spoke. "What did you eat?"

"A sandwich and a salad..." Maia added, suddenly feeling bile slowly rise up her throat. "I'm going to vomit. This is stupid."

Nick's eyes widened, arms stretching out to help Maia stand and walk toward the bathroom. Soon as the door closed to the bathroom, his fingers ran through his blond hair. Voices echoing through the halls of the hotel, laughter and heels clicking against wooden floors to be deafened the second they hit carpeting. Maia's phone rang, with a sigh Nick answered. "Maia's phone, Nick speaking."

"_Oh._" is all he heard before he could smile. Of course Nikki was calling. The entire roster were meeting back up tonight being that Raw was in Liverpool. "And why are you answering her phone, Nemeth?"

Nick laughed and shook his head. "I'm in her room while she's probably puking up her brains up in the bathroom."

"What do you mean?!" Nikki asked a bit scared, the voice echoed through the hall and Nick stuck his head out of her door. Nikki's eyes met Nick's, Nikki walking to Maia's hotel room door. "Is she okay?"

Nick shrugged "She kind of stumbled into her room, like she didn't have balance and she was sluggish toward the end of the show. Maia ate a sandwich and a salad she says and she's been sick. She just went into the bathroom, she's been telling me to stay away."

"You suck, move." Nikki pushed past Nick who only laughed at her a bit. Nikki knocked on the door softly, closing her eyes the second she heard Maia cough and groan. "Maia? Its Nikki, are you okay?"

"I'm halfway sure I just puked up a lung..." she mumbled, Nikki shook her head, face with disgust. "Is Nick still around?"

Nikki nodded and then hit her forehead; of course Maia wouldn't see that. "Yeah, he has your phone."

With another cough and groan, Maia sighed. "Tell him to go to his own room, I don't want him getting sick if this is contagious." Nick and Nikki just shared a look with each other. In the two years around Maia, Nikki was more experienced with dealing with the younger woman when she was sick. Maia often had the tendency to think every single ailment she'd ever get in life was contagious and wanted to keep everyone far away from her. Nikki just sighed and shrugged at Nick who looked down at his feet. "Nicole, I'll be fine. I just need to sleep it off I guess..." Maia added, the sound of water running and the toilet flushing damn near drowning her words out.

Nick shook his head and sat down on her bed, waiting for his counterpart to return. Nikki just eyed him, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "She's going to kill you" Nikki whispered. Nick just shrugged.

"I just want to make sure she's okay." Its all Nick could say before the door opened, Maia standing in the doorway with the hotel toothbrush in her mouth and nose scrunched in disapproval. "Attractive look there, Princess."

Her hair was a bit messy, eyes red from the tears that fell while she heaved and vomited. Toothbrush placed in her mouth as she brushed away the taste of stomach acid and bile from her tongue and mouth. "Shut up" she mumbled before shaking her head. "I told you both to go before this is contagious. Do my words not strike fear into your hearts?"

"Not really" Nikki spoke with a faint smile before it turned into a playful pout and frown. "Why don't you shower, change out of your clothes and sleep?"

"I'll come and pick you up in the morning to take you to the show. I'm not afraid of some stupid little stomach bug that you may have..." Nick replied as he stood from his spot on Maia's bed. Their eyes met and locked, as if they were having a silent conversation. Nick's jaw would tighten, Maia's head would move or tilt and not one word was spoken. Yet Maia sighed and nodded slowly. "...get some kind of sleep. I'll see you bright and early for work out and then to the arena."

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><p>Maia showered, nothing felt any better for the most part. Her nausea wasn't as bad, the feeling as if she were surrounded by heat and standing in the middle of a spinning room had subsided a bit. She had been curled up in one of Jon's oversized sweaters that didn't smell of cigarette smoke, a tank top and a pair of shorts. Maia knew her skin had paled a bit, after all she felt like shit. There was a knock at the door, which she groaned at the sound of. "Go away" she mumbled, her voice so low she barely heard it herself. The knock tapped on her door again, this time she stood and rolled her eyes, shuffling to the door. "I swear to god Jonathan Good, I will murder you for making me get up" she spoke a little louder before swinging open the door.<p>

It wasn't Jon.

"Were you expecting...him? Whoa, you don't look too good." The words were semi-soft spoken, eyes of brown peering down at the younger woman. Jeans of dark blue, black graphic v-neck tee and the new Seth Rollins hoodie in charcoal gray. Of all the people, of all times, of all the conditions she was in, Maia had to stand face to face with Colby while she was sick.

Maia shook her head no, looking down at the ground. It happened to be a habit with her when she was around him. Maia would hate to admit it, but she found him often intimidating. His frame towered over hers, which wasn't something out of the ordinary since she was rather small compared to majority of the male roster; exceptions like El Torito, Hornswoggle, Rey Mysterio and the original Sin Cara were proof that she wasn't that tiny but around them she felt like either a giant or right at home. There was also the fact that every time she was around Colby, the words of Jon always rang through her brain. _He bleeds. _Maybe she was more scared of catching him at a bad time than giving him the benefit of the doubt that it was a good time. "I'm sick."

"Are you okay? What happened? Should I call someone?" The questions spewed from his lips quickly, rapid fire like as his eyes did what she thought she never would have seen. His eyes lightened a shade or two. Usually they'd darken, they'd be something menacing or just a calm yet dark shade of brown when he was his normal self around Maia but this time they lightened up. His eyes were full of worry. Is this what happens when he panics?

"No. No, I'm fine. I've been in bed and trying to fight nausea that won when I got here." Maia sighed and held her head, the room began to spin again. "I don't think I should have gotten up-"

Just as quickly as the words left her mouth, she felt her balance start to wobble and strong arms grab at her frame. Her eyes began to flutter, head feeling woozy. The fingertips that were holding onto the bare flesh on her sides that maneuvered past the fabric of Jon's hoodie and past the hem of her tank top burned her skin. His touch was warm, which shocked the hell out of Maia. Then suddenly the room felt hot again. "Do you need to throw up?" Colby asked. His eyes jumped all over her face, watching her movements. Maia slowly nodded and Colby helped her move as fast as they both could to the bathroom. The Iowan silently thanked God that Maia had put her hair in a ponytail already, now he didn't have to hold her hair back and possibly watch her vomit.

Instead, Maia pushed him away, closed the door of the bathroom and drowned out the sounds of her sickness with running water. Maia was never good with being sick. Her immune system was always shit. When kids got common colds in school that would seem harmless or keep them out for a day or two, if she caught the cold, she was out for a week. The flu was her worst enemy, kept her out of commission for a good solid two weeks at least. Stomach viruses made her a whiny little bitch in her opinion and anything else that was sickness were hell. Its why Maia tried her best to maintain good bills of health. When she felt like she couldn't possibly vomit anymore, she brushed her teeth again, flushed the toilet and headed back out into her hotel room.

Colby was still there.

"I take it the whole 'hanging out before Raw' thing is out of the question?" His question was asked with a smile on his face. Maia couldn't help but smile herself. "You don't have to. I know how it is to be sick, I hate getting sick."

Maia smirked "Is your immune system a piece of shit too?"

Colby shook his head "Oh no, my immune system is pretty good. I just hate being sick. I feel like everyone hates me when I'm sick." There was that shared smile again. "I tell you what, how about we just hang out here for a while? If not that, then at least let me make sure you're okay to sleep. I don't want to hear about you being rushed to the hospital for choking on your own vomit or anything."

"I've got Nicole, Brianna, Jon, April, Saraya and Nick all on speed dial. If I needed to go to the ER, I'd call them to catch my sickness, not you." Maia chuckled at the statement, Colby just shook his head,

"You have Nick on speed dial?" he asked, his eyebrow arching. If Maia wasn't paying attention to his eyes, she would have missed the split second darken of his eyes.

Maia shrugged. "He's my second half for the storyline and a good friend. If something were to happen to me, he has to know so he can tell the higher ups and they can work on what to do with me not being there. Same with Nicole, Brianna, Jon, April and Saraya. Why? Are you offended you're not on my speed dial?"

"Yes. I assumed after you bought me a stuffed tiger that I would be important enough for speed dial." It was evidently a joke between the two now, especially since neither one of them had each other's numbers. It was weird for both of them, they had started the same day, were both still active on the roster and both had a common link in Jonathan Good for two years and yet, they didn't know each other. Granted, Jon and Colby had minimum interactions now because of the storyline hatred they had for each other and WWE were so set on the men keeping those story lines real at times. The world watched as John Cena and the Rock hated each other, when behind the scenes, they were actually cordial and nice to each other. Before the storyline of Ambrose versus Rollins, Jon and Colby were super close as well as Joe. They still are in some aspects, but its very low key these days. When they were all in the Shield and Maia was on her own, she barely spoke to Colby because he often kept in his own world. Maia thought they'd have nothing in common, nothing to talk about but instead, they agreed on some things as Maia had recently learned these past few days. "Its cool, I'll stick around. Maybe we can catch something on telly."

"On _telly?_ Did you just say that!?" Maia laughed lightly before sitting on her bed. "I'm so telling Saraya this, she's going to murder you." Colby rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets before Maia looked up at Colby herself. "Wait a second, how did you know I was in this room?"

This time, Colby bit down on his lip and squinted his eyes. "Cena's not the only one with hotel charm. That and I overheard Brie ask Nikki what floor were you staying on so she could check on you. Nikki told her but then told her not to come because you'd kick her out. I must be better than her because you haven't kicked me out yet."

"Give me time, I'll muster the strength I didn't puke up to tell you to go." The two laughed lightly at her words before Colby gingerly sat down at the edge of the hotel bed. "You should go though. I don't want you getting sick. God, the higher ups would kill me if I got you sick—I'm replaceable, Mr. Money in the Bank gets sick because of me, they'd blow a gasket."

Colby smiled and shook his head. "I'll be fine." The older man walked over to the tall cabinet in Maia's room, opened the doors and grabbed a warm bottle of ginger ale. "You know, when I was a kid, this was like miracle juice for me. If my stomach was messing with me, my mom would give me this shit and I'd be okay after a while. I'd burp like a full grown man because of the acid, but I was okay..." his eyes of brown scanned the bottle as he laughed at what Maia assumed was a memory before he looked over at the former Divas champion. "Try it."

"I don't wanna burp like full grown man..." Maia mumbled, she could feel herself shrinking into Jon's oversized hoodie on her small frame. Colby tilted his head a bit, silently pleading for her to try the soda and give it a chance to work. With a sigh, she grabbed the bottle and opened it slowly. The acid burned at her throat a bit, but it wasn't a bad burn. She could feel the acid bubbles creeping through her throat as she pulled the bottle away from her lips. Maia swallowed back the impending burp and eyed Colby. "What?"

"Nothing."

Maia sat back against the pillows that were propped up against the headboard of her bed and sighed. It felt like a million pillows were on the bed, she grabbed one and hugged it as she felt herself shrink more and more into a ball inside Jon's hoodie. "Do you seriously plan on staying? What if what I have is like...highly contagious?"

"Do you think its Ebola?" Colby asked with a straight face.

Maia blanched a bit. "Do you think I'd have it?"

"No!" Colby replied with a laugh. "No, you're fine. I think you're safe from Ebola, Maia."

"Don't ever..." was all Maia could say before she covered her mouth again. There was the feeling of a massive burp and this time she couldn't swallow it back. It was loud and muffled behind her hand but it still made her cringe with embarrassment. "That was gross, it sounded like a man's burp."

Colby shrugged "I've heard louder but that's the acid kicking in."

"Acid is going to make me feel better? You're like the worst doctor ever, Colby" Maia joked.

"No, the acid is going to leave your system and then the sugar will curb the nausea. You should be able to sleep for a few hours at a time, if not for the whole night. Just keep drinking the ginger ale, you should be better." Colby smiled and watched as Maia nodded with a faint smile. "You should also make saltine crackers your best friend."

"Salt also kills nausea, I know. I'm just terrified to eat..." Maia spoke with a yawn. She felt so drained, no kind of energy flowing through her body. Laying down in her bed, curled into the fetal position, Colby laughed a bit at Maia. "Shut up, don't laugh at me."

Colby just shook his head. "I promise, its not me laughing at you so much as me laughing at how you're reacting to being sick." The Iowan with locks of hair that were two completely different colors stood from his spot and walked over to Maia's side of the bed, lifting the covers from her body and tucking her in. "I'm still here, I'll just move to the chair..." he replied with a small smile before sitting at a chair by the small table in her room. "Tell me about your trip on the other side of the tour."

"It wasn't long. It was a three hour flight over to Dublin. Wasn't that bad. Everyone looked at me weird when I walked into the arena that night. Only two people knew I was on that side when I got there, which was Jon who was kinda being big brother stalker-ish and Nick who walked in when my door was open and I was on FaceTime with Nikki and Brie..." Maia started with a faint laugh. "Other than that, the tour has been the same on this end. I've stuck with Jon or Nattie backstage and then Nick in front of the WWE Universe—excuse me, I mean Dolph."

"I saw the picture on Twitter and Instagram of you two. You looked cozy." There was a curtness to his voice, a bitterness is his tone. Maia may have been sick, but she definitely didn't miss it.

Maia just chuckled. "The whole world saw it apparently. I fell asleep on him, he thought it would be funny to do that."

"Nothing more?"

"Are you asking for your own sanity or because you want something to tell the dirt sheets?"

Colby chuckled this time. "Because I just want to know."

Maia sighed. "Nothing more."

Colby nodded, his eyes trained on his fingers. "Did everyone like their gifts you got them?"

Maia smiled. "Yeah. I've never seen Nikki so happy about a stuffed toy in my life. She damn near exploded with happiness. Brianna too. They damn near dropped to the floor when I said you knew I was switching tours."

"Why?"

"Because they don't exactly know you, Colby. I don't either." Maia added, snuggling into the pillow she was holding onto a bit more. "We've been working together for two years at this point and I can't even tell you if you have a favorite color or if you have a favorite show to watch."

Colby shrugged. "I don't have a favorite color, really. If I had to choose, probably black or gray if I had to choose. I don't watch much television, but the Walking Dead isn't horrible. I guess that makes me as generic as the rest of the roster, huh?"

"All I know is that you bleed" Maia spoke.

Colby squinted his eyes. "I mean, there's blood in my veins, so yeah I bleed-"

"That's not what I meant." Maia closed her eyes and sighed. It seemed easier to talk to him when she didn't have to look into his eyes and observe the color changes to try and decipher him. "They say you bleed. That sometimes arrogant, cold-hearted, sell out Seth Rollins can bleed into the man I barely know, Colby Lopez. They say that makes you a wild card, dangerous and to tread lightly with you."

Maia couldn't see it, but Colby's jaw tensed, his hands clenching closed tightly and his breathing slowing down. He knew sometimes it was hard to break out of a character he had to perfect more and more everyday. Most people who know him as Seth Rollins knew he wasn't used to being a heel. The most shine he had as a heel in WWE was in the Shield and in that sense, everyone's eyes were on Jon and Joe. They were the muscle and the voice, what was Seth? Seth was the high flyer, but barely noticed to opponents. He never had to be the vocal, be the main heel until now. It was hard to switch it off, switch off what he was working so hard on making believable. "I see..." was all he could manage to say in a voice that was a bit too low for his own ears. "I'm not a bad guy, Maia. I know it sounds like broken record words men speak all the time and you barely know me and in the times we've spoken, you were always weary of me. I see it. Its just hard to shut it off sometimes and it makes me that wild card, but this is what I love and I've worked for and I want to be the best and I guess it makes me someone to be scared of. You don't have to be."

"I'm not scared of you..." Maia whispered, eyes still closed.

Colby smirked a bit at her words. "Then what are you?"

"Guarded."

"Why?

A response never came. Instead there was soft breathing heard. Maia had finally fallen asleep. Colby shook his head and took it as his cue to leave her to sleep. Colby moved her luggage to the corner of her room, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen to write her a quick note saying he hoped she felt better and that if she felt better to hang out like they had planned to give him a call. Colby wrote his number down on the paper before he smirked at an idea in his head. Once he finished everything in her room, Colby lowered the lights in her room, turned the television down and closed the door behind him.

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><p>Maia couldn't even remember falling asleep. Her eyes opened slowly, her body feeling weaker than yesterday. There was nothing in her system which made her feel even worse. She rose from her spot in bed, scratching her head as she tried to recall the events from last night. All Maia remembered was falling asleep on Colby during a conversation the two were having. Her eyes took in that her bags had been moved neatly, lights dimmed and television turned down low. In her mind she took it upon herself to remember to thank Colby. A note on her table next to her phone caught her eye; Maia carefully reached over to read the almost illegible writing.<p>

_'You fell asleep. You could use some sleep while sick. I hope you get better and soon. I have a lot to prove to you that I'm not as bad as I'm made out to be. If you're feeling well enough to hang, let me know. Just hit lucky number seven._

_Okay its not that lucky, you just had other things on speed dial and that was the number left for me._

_-Colby.'_

After shooting a quick text to Colby of thanks for everything but she was still feeling a bit like hell, that she wasn't going out unless its straight to the arena. He replied quickly his understanding and Maia trudged herself into the shower to attempt to feel better.

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><p><em>RealCharliWWE: shout out to whoever realized warm ginger ale is good for nausea. still hella sick though, time to power through for #RAW<em>

_WWEAJLee: RealCharliWWE hella?_

_RealCharliWWE: WWEAJLee do not judge me._

_WWEAJLee: RealCharliWWE too late, judgment has started._

_RealCharliWWE: WWEAJLee can't I get a pass since I'm sick and its obviously messing with my vocabulary?_

_WWEAJLee: RealCharliWWE just this once, but if you start talking like a valley girl, I'm taking you to get treatment._

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><p>"I take it you still feel like shit?" Nikki asked as Maia climbed into the back of the rental car that the Bella Twins and her were going to ride in on the way to the arena. After all the bags were placed in the trunk, Maia took her jacket and crumbled it into a makeshift pillow and laid out in the back seat. Maia consciously ignored the camera placed on the windshield. Total Divas filming, she wanted avoid that but with majority of the Divas being part of the cast, there was no avoiding the cameras.<p>

Maia sighed "I'm just really weak right now. I ate some crackers this morning but that wasn't much. I'm not as nauseous so I won't vomit in the car, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm worried about you because since you've been here, I've seen you sick maybe twice? You're like the worst when you're sick. Your body shuts down and it takes a while for you to be yourself again." Nikki had her moments where she was motherly, where she felt the need to be the woman to take care of those around her. Total Divas often made all the women on the show look different than who they were.

Maia sat up for a moment, sticking her head between the seats and smiling softly. "I'm fine. I appreciate the love and the care, but I'm fine. I promise. If I get worse, I'll find the nearby hospital and I'll go. Promise. Scout's Honor."

"Were you even a scout?"

Maia paused "...does a Sailor Scout count?"

"A what?" Nikki asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Nevermind, if you don't know it, it doesn't count with you. It'd count probably with April."

As the trio pulled into the parking lot of the arena in Liverpool, they filed out of the car, bags in hand. The second Maia stepped toward the locker room area, hands grabbed at her shoulders.

"No, no. You are needed by Steph. Come on, Princess." In all honesty, if he hadn't called her by his nickname for her, she probably would have panicked. Maia followed Nick in a slow pace. The two walked side by side, his eyes of blue train on her and her movements. When they reached the office, Nick knocked lightly on the door as Maia felt herself feel a bit weak and dizzy. Maia rested her head and body against Nick as the door opened.

Stephanie opened the door, her eyes landing on the two figures in front of her. There was a way Nick was looking at Maia as she closed her eyes in a slow blink and rested her body against his. There was a comfortable vibe between the two, which shocked Stephanie being that she hadn't seen Maia this close to anyone that wasn't Phil or Jon in the past two years. She got along with people on the roster famously, but anyone could see she kept them far from her true self. Then Stephanie noticed how pale Maia looked. "Maia? Maia, are you okay?"

"She's been sick since yesterday. Nicole said Maia said she was okay but I'm not sure she should be out there tonight. God forbid she collapses" Nick replied, his eyes finally tearing away from Maia's frame and looking over at Stephanie. "Its why I came to you so you first so I can bring her to you."

"Traitor!" Maia weakly declared, making Stephanie and Nick laugh.

Stephanie touched Maia's forehead. "Doesn't feel like a fever. I have three children, I'm used to twenty-four hour bugs, stomach viruses, colds, cases of the flu, everything under the sun. How I've got an iron immune system, I don't understand..." she laughed off before taking Maia's face into her hands. "I think you should sit tonight out. I can't risk you going out there and you're struggling to stand. Try some soup, nothing with meat in it. The meat will be too heavy for your system. Try some veggie soup and warm ginger ale. Stay rested backstage." Maia smiled faintly and nodded at Stephanie's orders before her eyes shifted over to Nick's. "As for you Nick, help Maia back to the locker room and you get ready for your match against Mark Henry. Make sure Maia gets some kind of rest."

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><p>"Am I dying?" Maia asked Saraya as she rested her head on the young Brit's lap. Saraya had been running her fingers through the younger woman's hair. Nikki had run to get Maia some soup before she was to accompany Brie to the ring for her match against AJ.<p>

Saraya laughed and shook her head. "No. You're not dying. You just need some food in your system. You'll be fine."

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><p><em>Dolph's match was against Mark Henry appointed by the authority and a member of Team Authority which wasn't that much of a surprise. Dolph was thrown into the corner, sliding on his knees before his eyes locked with the World's Strongest Man across the ring. Dolph was trying to keep himself separated from the bigger man and keep himself alive in this match. Sliding from harms way and launching into a drop kick, Mark Henry stumbled backward. Dolph kept his eyes on his opponent, feeling out of place without his normal staple by his side as of late, Charli.<em>

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><p>Maia's eyes watched the match intensely. "I think I'm dying."<p>

"For the last time, you're not dying. Eat your soup" Nikki demanded as she fixed the string on her ring gear with a smile. "Get some food into your system. Lay back on these crummy benches and just watch the show. When the matches are over, we'll leave, okay?"

Maia shook her head "I have to wait for Nick. Secondary tour team, remember?" Her eyes landed on the match again as Nick was being hurled into the steel steps, the pain evident on his face. Maia felt a pang in her chest, watching him suffer this way although she and he both knew that was his match and his fate. "Unless I find out where the next hotel is and if its close you can drop me off because you love me so much."

"You've been lied to if you think I love you that much" Nikki joked with a wink before an assistant backstage had told her she had ten minutes before the match. Brie had just walked through the door with a warm bottle of ginger ale and handed it to Maia with a smile. "We can drop you off, its no problem."

The sound of Big Show's music blared through the arena and very little through the television backstage. Maia just felt herself shiver. "Did it get like five degrees colder in here?" Maia barely paid attention to the television at this point, barely missing Big Show announcing he was part of Team Cena and when he helped Dolph off the floor.

"No. Maybe its your sickness talking. Do you have a hoodie or a sweater or something?" Brie asked. Maia nodded and pointed to her bag with her ring gear. Brie opened the bag and tilted her head. "Maia Carson is there anything you want to tell us?"

Maia, Nikki and Saraya—who was quietly watching the matches and still running her fingers through Maia's hair—had all looked over to Brie who had a piece of paper in her hand. "'_Figured you can put this to use one day soon. Take it as a gift, or a peace offering to start fresh. Colby.' _What is this about?"

"What are you talking about?" Maia asked. Why was there a note in her bag from Colby? Brie's hands fished out what was in her bag. A Seth Rollins hoodie, the exact one he wore last night when he made sure she was okay. "What the...?"

He was definitely a wild card.

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><p>Songs I listened to while writing this were:<p>

Five Finger Death Punch – **Far From Home**  
>Andrew Belle – <strong>In My Veins<strong>  
>Florence and the Machine – <strong>Bedroom Hymns<strong>

Reviews, comments, guesses of what's to come or just key smashes in excitement are definitely welcomed and wanted, because I'd like to know how I'm doing. So comment, let me know what you think as I write the next chapter. Four to six comments/reviews/good stuff like that, gets you chapter ten.


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